National News Executive Summary / Sommaire des nouvelles nationales
ADM(PA) / SMA(AP)
February 5, 2011 / le 5 février 2011
MINISTER / LE MINISTRE
F35 Purchase: Comment
In a letter, Defence Minister Peter MacKay contended that even though Dominic Leblanc was a member
of the Liberal government that brought Canada into the Joint Strike Fighter program and a former
parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Defence, it is surprising that he continues to mislead
Canadians about the Conservative government's plans to buy the much needed F-35 joint strike fighter,
particularly since he was an advocate of Canada's participation in the unique program. He noted the
Liberals have said that they would cancel plans to proceed with the Liberal-initiated F-35 program, and
argued that such a decision would put the jobs of Canadian aerospace workers at risk and jeopardize
millions in taxpayer dollars already invested during Liberal governments. Mr. MacKay expressed surprise
that the Liberals would be so irresponsible on an important military procurement, and he urged the party
to stop playing politics with important military procurements (NP A25).
French Schools Will Merge
The Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario announced this week that Madeleine-de-Roybon
elementary school, a French-language school preparing to move from CFB Kingston to central Kingston
this year, will share space with Mille-Iles secondary school this fall. In 2009, parents went to court
seeking an injunction to halt the move. Some of the opponents included the former commander of CFB
Kingston and Defence Minister Peter MacKay. In a letter to local MP and Commons Speaker Peter
Milliken, Mr. MacKay predicted "a significant reduction of the quality of life for those francophone and
military families that use the school" (P. Schliesmann: KWS 3).
Ship Building Program: Comment
Winnipeg Free Press editorial: It's been a bad week for Defence Minister Peter MacKay -- He still
intends to focus the majority of a 30-year, $35-billion shipbuilding program on two national shipyards,
even though three regions are vying for the project. With bidders in British Columbia, Quebec and Nova
Scotia, and only two major contracts, this is a game of political musical chairs that is destined to cause
the Tories major grief in one of the three regions (WFP H5).
Canada-UAE Dispute: Comment
Columnist James Travers: Mystery and suspicion are staples of this capital's political diet. They're a meal
in themselves in the costly feud between Canada and the United Arab Emirates over airline landing
rights. The mystery is why supposedly free-market Conservatives sacrificed public interest to protect
privately owned Air Canada from competition. Lost in the nasty finger-pointing and reprisals is Ottawa's
free use of this country's forward operating base for the Afghanistan mission, a $300 million setback that
has the military scrambling for a secure replacement in a region now roiling in turmoil. Truth is elusive
here, where backroom business is done with a wink and a nudge. Still, what's known is worth considering.
First, by linking landing rights to the closure of Camp Mirage, the UAE recklessly poured fuel on an open
fire. Canada then overreacted by ratcheting the rhetoric and stakes higher. Second, not all Conservatives
were convinced that protecting a private company was in the best public interest. The issue so divided
Prime Minister Harper's cabinet that Defence Minister Peter MacKay theatrically appeared on
Parliament Hill wearing an Air Emirates baseball cap. That unusual breach of solidarity only adds another
layer of political suspicion to a lingering public policy mystery (TStar A23).
Ned Amy Obituary
Retired brigadier-general Ned Amy, 94, died Wednesday in the Camp Hill hospital, said several members
of the military, including his good friend, retired major-general Clive Addy, colonel-commandant of the
Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. In additional to numerous honours bestowed upon him for his battle
prowess throughout Europe and Korea, Mr. Amy will be best remembered in Nova Scotia for his tireless
effort to have the Halifax Rifles returned to the Canadian Order of Battle. He accomplished his mission in
2009, when Defence Minister Peter MacKay made it official (E. Hoare: HCH A4).
CDS / CEM
No related coverage. / Aucune couverture pertinente.
MILITARY POLICE COMPLAINTS COMMISSION /
COMMISSION D'EXAMEN DES PLAINTES CONCERNANT LA POLICE MILITAIRE
No related coverage. / Aucune couverture pertinente.
CANADA IN AFGHANISTAN / LE CANADA EN AFGHANISTAN
Transfer of Detainees
The Canadian Forces detained 225 individuals in Afghanistan in 2009, eclipsing the next busiest years by
more than 80 people. Of the 225 detainees, one died in hospital from wounds sustained on the battlefield
and 92 were transferred to the Afghan National Security Force. Prior to 2009, the most people detained
by the Canadian Forces in one year was 142, which happened in both 2006 and 2007. According to
Canadian Forces spokesperson Dominique Verdon, the numbers do not reflect any particular pattern or
trend: "Every CF operation that involves an individual being taken as a detainee is unique. As such, it is
virtually impossible to draw broad conclusions about these statistics or infer a particular trend based on
events in any calendar year. The pace of combat operations ebb and flow based on a wide range of
factors such as posture, geography, enemy activity, ANSF (Afghan National Security Force) capabilities
as well as other allied activities. Simply put, numbers fluctuate for a host of reasons and it is virtually
impossible to draw any significant conclusions or ascertain trends over time." Allegations that the
Canadian government knew some of the detainees being transferred to Afghan security forces were
being abused or tortured has sparked heated debate on Parliament Hill. Currently, an all-party committee
is pouring over tens of thousands of classified documents to see who knew what and when. A report is
expected soon from the committee on whether anyone in the government was aware of the abuse (T.
Cohen: EJ A8, SSP D8, Ctz A3; B. Weese, QMI: ESun 46, LFP B1; CP: TStar A12).
Canada-UAE Dispute: Analysis
In an analysis, Bruce Campion-Smith noted that the story of how Canada came to diplomatic blows with
the United Arab Emirates is one of tangled diplomacy, domestic politics and, in the blunt assessment of
one observer, the Conservatives' anti-Arab agenda. For Emiratis, there is the sense that their contribution
to the war effort - hosting Canada rent-free for nine years, welcoming its warships at its ports and even
sending troops to Afghanistan - wasn't recognized or respected in Ottawa. On the Canadian side, there's
deep animosity at what they claim was the UAE's decision to link its demand for greater air access to
Canadian airports with Canada's continued use of Camp Mirage. Officials in the UAE insist the two issues
were never explicitly linked. Instead, they say it was only raised in the context of the broader bilateral
relationship - in a moment of frustration as talks over the air access dragged. But there is
acknowledgement here that raising the base issue at all was a mistake. It prompted Prime Minister
Harper to lash out at the UAE, calling into question the sheikdom's loyalty as an ally, remarks that have
caused hard feelings here. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor at Emirates University,
doesn't buy the explanation that fouled diplomacy is to blame. Mr. Harper, he said, is too "sophisticated"
for that. Instead, he charges that Conservatives' pro-Israel agenda was behind the decision to snub the
Arab country. Just what this episode will cost Canada remains uncertain (TStar A22).
Prime Minister in Washington
In coverage of the border security agreement reached between Prime Minister Harper and U.S. President
Barack Obama, a report noted that Mr. Obama thanked Canada for its contributions in Afghanistan and
for extending its mission there to an ongoing training one (S. Alberta: WStar A1).
OTHERS / AUTRES
Border Security Agreement
Prime Minister Harper set in motion historic changes in border and trade ties with the United States on
Friday, a radical overhaul in relations with Washington that Mr. Harper said had no impact on Canadian
sovereignty. The framework agreement, which has been under secret negotiation for months, is seen by
some in Canada as the most significant challenge to Canadian sovereignty since the free-trade talks of
the 1980s. Opposition parties and Canadian nationalists are already raising the alarm about Harper's
perimeter security project. The Ottawa-based Council of Canadians said, "It could mean the wholesale
adoption of U.S. security, surveillance, immigration and military practices in return for a hollow promise of
a 'thinner' border for trade. The result will be two borders: one U.S.-patrolled around the perimeter, the
other a persistent irritant along the 49th parallel" (L. Whittington: TStar A1).
Border Security Agreement: Comment
Columnist John Ivison commented that the he potential for a deal was greatly improved by the
comradeship apparent between the Prime Minister and the President, who have cooperated effectively on
thorny issues ranging from the auto bailout to Afghanistan. Ivison noted there was little detail available on
how a perimeter security arrangement might work in practice, beyond a reference to increased
cooperation across "air, land and maritime domains, as well as space and cyberspace." He maintained
this suggests that the NORAD joint air defence model may be adopted on land and sea. He also asked
whether the agreement means Canada will sign up to the Ballistic Missile Defence program that Paul
Martin's Liberal government snubbed. Ivison also asked whether American ships will patrol the Northwest
Passage, which the U.S. considers an international waterway but Canada claims as an internal strait, and
if so, what that mean for Mr. Harper's Arctic sovereignty strategy? (NP A4)
NATO Chief Warns Europe Over Defence Cuts
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen cautioned that a dramatic reduction in defence
spending by European governments would seriously diminish Europe's ability to respond to crises and
risked alienating the United States (AFP: EJ A4).
Post-Afghanistan Peacekeeping: Comment
Columnist Geoffrey P. Johnston urged Prime Minister Harper to pay less attention to Egypt and more
attention to Southern Sudan, where people have voted almost unanimously to separate from Northern
Sudan. Johnston argued the Prime Minister should focus on Canada's unprecedented opportunity to
assist in the birth of Africa's newest nation, instilling in Southern Sudan the Canadian values of equality,
inclusiveness, good governance and respect for human rights. He pointed out that since the
establishment of the UN mission in Sudan, a total of 430 Canadian military and civilian peacekeepers
have served there. He argued that since Sudan is one of the federal government's foreign policy
priorities, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon should inform the UN Security Council that Canada
would be willing to significantly expand its peacekeeping contribution after Canadian combat troops
withdraw from Afghanistan later this year (KWS 5).
Exercise Prepares Soldiers for Arctic Mission
An article highlighted a military exercise in Farnham in Quebec's Eastern Townships. As the Canadian
military prepares to withdraw most of its troops from the dusty heat of Afghanistan this year, Canadian
soldiers are starting to reacquaint themselves with our country, often equated with winter. This is why the
soldiers of the 5th Service Battalion group, whose mandate normally is to provide troops with supplies of
gear, food and ammunition, is carrying out a search-and-rescue and first aid training course in the snow
(R. Bruemmer: Gaz A3).
Military Honour for Gander Man
In March, a member of 5 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group in Gander will be rewarded for a lifetime of
dedication, commitment and service. Maj Terrence Gordon Stead and 114 other Canadians will receive
the Order of Military Merit - the second-highest military order awarded by the Governor General. Gov.
Gen. David Johnston will present the awards in Ottawa (A. Gunn: SJT A4).
Poll on Federal Spending Priorities: Comment
Columnist Jeffrey Simpson: It's widely said that Canada is moving politically to the right and that
Canadians are becoming generally more conservative in their outlook on public matters. It's an assertion
based sometimes on hope, often on conjecture, occasionally on fragmentary evidence, but never on
serious facts and deep analysis. Indeed, the latest Focus Canada survey by the Environics Institute so
completely demolishes the assertion that perhaps it can be laid to rest. There have been some drifts in
public attitudes, mostly by Canadians becoming more socially liberal. If little evidence exists that
Canadians are becoming more conservative on crime, what about other priorities? Focus Canada's
survey finds Canadians' top spending priorities to be education, health care, elderly programs, the
environment and reducing child poverty. At the bottom are foreign aid, justice, defence, domestic security
and arts and culture. The ordering of these priorities hasn't changed much in two decades, except that
support for defence spending - which soared with the Afghan engagement - has returned to the low levels
of the 1990s (G&M F9).

Il n'y a aucune couverture médiatique francophone pertinente aujourd'hui.
Section: none
Outlet: WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Title: It's been a bad week for.... Page: H5
Date: 2011-02-05
the world's attention and caused the most powerful leaders to urge Mubarak to do the right thing and step
down. That would be good for Egypt, but very bad indeed for the Mubarak dynasty and his son, Gamal,
who had been widely seen as his father's successor. Gamal will not be a candidate in upcoming
presidential elections.
Jenny Gerbasi
Winnipeg City Councillor
When she found out that there will be a $1-million cap on a provincial program to subsidize the installation
of sump pumps and backwater valves, Gerbasi implored Winnipeggers not to have them installed lest
they be left out of the subsidy program. "Many people probably won't take that risk, I don't think I'll take
that risk," she said. "You have to have the money upfront in the first place. It's a challenge for people with
lesser means." Gerbasi perhaps forgot about how a flooded basement, often not covered by insurance,
would add to the burden on people of lesser means.
Peter MacKay
Defence Minister
He still intends to focus the majority of a 30-year, $35-billion shipbuilding program on two national
shipyards, even though three regions are vying for the project. With bidders in British Columbia, Quebec
and Nova Scotia, and only two major contracts, this is a game of political musical chairs that is destined
to cause the Tories major grief in one of the three regions.
Back to Top
Section: News
Title: Fumes of partisan politics swirl in U.A.E. dispute
Page: A23
Byline: James Travers Toronto Star
Outlet: Toronto Star
Date: 2011-02-05
Mystery and suspicion are staples of this capital's political diet. They're a meal in themselves in the costly
feud between Canada and the United Arab Emirates over airline landing rights.
The mystery is why supposedly free-market Conservatives sacrificed public interest to protect privately
owned Air Canada from competition. The suspicion is that scratch-my-back politics influenced the
decision to block added flights by twin U.A.E. airlines.
Air Canada and its Star Alliance partner Lufthansa are the dispute's clear winners. Air Canada's feeder
flights connecting to Lufthansa's lucrative Far East service are insulated from tough, some say
subsidized, Emirates competition.
Canadian taxpayers are the obvious losers. Lost in the nasty finger-pointing and reprisals is Ottawa's free
use of this country's forward operating base for the Afghanistan mission, a $300 million setback that has
the military scrambling for a secure replacement in a region now roiling in turmoil.
Air Canada defends the decision as consistent with long-standing supply-and-demand transportation
policy, while Conservatives warn that tens of thousands of Canadian jobs are at stake. Industry analysts
question the benefit to consumers and say the impact on domestic labour is wildly exaggerated.
Claim and counterclaim course through all political controversies. This one adds a back-story rich in
allegations of shifting loyalties, dirty election tricks and favours rewarded.
Central to that story is Duncan Dee, Air Canada's chief operating officer. Dee, a disaffected former Sheila
Copps Liberal now close enough to Conservatives to be appointed a Museum of Civilization trustee, is
credited with bettering the Emirates in a fierce landing rights lobbying battle.
A silent Dee might have stayed in the background. Instead he raised lobbyist eyebrows and political
hackles by taking public exception when Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and foreign affairs critic Bob
Rae bashed the Conservatives for abandoning consumers and market principles while jeopardizing
national interests.
Lobbyists were startled that a senior executive in their sensitive business would be so seemingly partisan
in confronting a party that one day may be back in power. Liberals were not surprised. They trace hard
feelings to Paul Martin's treatment of Copps during the 2003 Liberal leadership contest and accuse Dee
of helping Conservatives by pulling a campaign plane out from under then-leader Stéphane Dion as the
2008 federal election began.
Liberals insist Dee reneged on a verbal commitment to supply an aircraft. Left in an 11th-hour lurch, Dion
stumbled around by bus before suffering the added embarrassment of campaigning for climate change
while flying an old, polluting plane.
Dee says there was no commitment, that Liberals are blaming him for their own leasing failure and that
connecting the election campaign to the U.A.E. decision smacks of conspiracy theory. He frames his
Ignatieff and Rae responses as nothing more than support for a Conservative policy protecting Air
Canada and the domestic industry.
Truth is elusive here, where backroom business is done with a wink and a nudge. Still, what's known is
worth considering.
First, by linking landing rights to the closure of Camp Mirage the U.A.E. recklessly poured fuel on an open
fire. Canada then overreacted by ratcheting the rhetoric and stakes higher.
Second, not all Conservatives were convinced that protecting a private company was in the best public
interest. The issue so divided Stephen Harper's cabinet that Defence Minister Peter MacKay theatrically
appeared on Parliament Hill wearing an Air Emirates baseball cap.
That unusual breach of solidarity only adds another layer of political suspicion to a lingering public policy
mystery.
James Travers' column appears Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: Tobi Cohen
Outlet: Edmonton Journal
Title: 92 detainees transferred to Afghan authorities; Figures for 2009 released by Ottawa
Page: A8
Date: 2011-02-05
Dateline: OTTAWA
Source: Postmedia News
Canada transferred 92 suspected insurgents to Afghan authorities in 2009, according to the latest figures
released Friday by the Defence Department.
Long considered top secret information blacked out in numerous documents, the federal government
announced last September that statistical data regarding detainees "no longer posed an immediate threat
to current or recent operations" and would therefore be released annually after being held back for a
period of 12 months.
The latest figures indicate a total of 226 individuals remained in Canadian detention in 2009. Of them, 126
were released, while 92 were transferred.
One reportedly died in hospital at Kandahar Airfield from wounds suffered on the battlefield.
Seven others were detained toward the end of 2009 and remained in Canadian custody into 2010.
Canada transferred a total of 283 of 439 captives to Afghan authorities between 2001 and 2008. During
that time period, two others died in hospital from battle wounds.
The number of detentions picked up in 2006, the year evidence of torture and abuse of detainees
transferred by Canadian troops to Afghan security began raising alarms.
The issue of whether Canada knowingly transferred detainees to torture would soon become a scandal,
with many calling for a public inquiry.
That didn't happen but earlier this week, the Military Police Complaints Commission wrapped up a year of
public hearings into whether officers should have investigated the matter.
The hearings culminated with diplomat Richard Colvin's explosive testimony that senior Canadian officials
ignored torture documented by human rights groups, Canadian Foreign Affairs staff and the U.S. State
Department.
The commission will produce a report on its findings for the chief of defence staff, most likely well after
Canadian combat troops pull out of Afghanistan in July.
An all-party committee has also been pouring over secret detainee documents since the spring after
House Speaker Peter Milliken ruled the government had breached parliamentary privilege when it failed
to fork over the uncensored documents to MPs.
Back to Top
Section: News
OTTAWA -- When it comes to capturing possible insurgents in Afghanistan, 2009 was a busy year. Title:
Record number of Afghan detainees captured in 2009: report
Page: 46
Byline: BRYN WEESE, PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU
Outlet: The Edmonton Sun
Date: 2011-02-05
OTTAWA -- When it comes to capturing possible insurgents in Afghanistan, 2009 was a busy year.
The Canadian Forces detained 225 individuals in Afghanistan in 2009, eclipsing the next busiest years by
more than 80 people.
Of the 225 detainees, one died in hospital from wounds sustained on the battlefield and 92 were
transferred to the Afghan National Security Force.
NO PATTERN
Prior to 2009, the most people detained by the Canadian Forces in one year was 142, which happened in
both 2006 and 2007.
But according to a Canadian Forces official, the numbers don't reflect any particular pattern or trend.
"Every CF operation that involves an individual being taken as a detainee is unique. As such, it is virtually
impossible to draw broad conclusions about these statistics or infer a particular trend based on events in
any calendar year," Dominique Verdon, a spokeswoman for the Forces, wrote in an e-mail Friday.
"The pace of combat operations ebb and flow based on a wide range of factors such as posture,
geography, enemy activity, ANSF (Afghan National Security Force) capabilities as well as other allied
activities.
"Simply put, numbers fluctuate for a host of reasons and it is virtually impossible to draw any significant
conclusions or ascertain trends over time."
For each of the past four years, the Canadian Forces has made public the annual results of its posttransferring monitoring program. The data is held for 12 months before being released.
The statistics for 2009 were made public Friday.
Since Canada became involved in the Afghanistan conflict in 2001, the Canadian Forces have detained a
total of 664 individuals.
Of those, three have died in hospital from wounds sustained on the battlefield and 375 have been
transferred to either United States or Afghan security forces, the latter exclusively since 2005.
HEATED DEBATE
Allegations that the Canadian government knew some of the detainees being trans-f e r re d to Afghan
security forces were being abused or tortured has sparked heated debate on Parliament Hill.
Currently, a secretive all-party committee is pouring over tens of thousands of classified documents to
see who knew what and when.
A report is expected soon from the committee on whether anyone in the government was aware of the
abuse. The NDP is boycotting the committee and demanding a public inquiry into the Afghan detainee
issue.
bryn.weese@sunmedia.ca
© 2011 Sun Media Corporation
Back to Top
Section: News
Title: digest
Page: A12
Byline: Star wire services
Outlet: Toronto Star
Date: 2011-02-05
Ontario
Catholic Diocese of London settles with victims of sex abuse
The Roman Catholic Diocese of London, Ont., has reached settlements with 10 more sexual abuse
victims in southwestern Ontario.
The settlement involves two disgraced priests and totals more than $1.5 million.
Nine victims were abused by Rev. Lawrence Paquette in small communities around the Windsor area.
There are currently two other cases involving Paquette before the courts, while another was settled last
summer. Paquette died in 1986.
The tenth victim was abused by former priest Barry Glendinning in Windsor in the mid-60s.
Canadian captures of Taliban fighters peaked in 2009
The Canadian army captured more suspected Taliban fighters in 2009 than any other year of its mission
in Afghanistan.
The Defence Department released statistics Friday that show 225 prisoners were taken on the battlefield,
though more than half were later released.
The number is a reflection of heightened military operations. The captures came as Canadian troops
were ceding territory to American forces, which took over vast swaths of Kandahar province. The new
number dwarfs the 90 prisoners reported captured in 2008 and is almost a third higher than the 142
prisoners taken in 2007 and 2006, when fighting was at its peak.
Alberta
Man accused by U.S. of aiding terror attack in Iraq denied bail
An Edmonton man accused of supporting a terrorist attack in Iraq that killed five U.S. soldiers has been
denied bail.
A judge says there's enough evidence as far as extradition proceedings go to keep Sayfilden Tahir Sharif
behind bars.
Sharif, 38, was arrested last month in Edmonton at the request of the FBI and may be extradited to be
tried in the U.S.
British Columbia
Size of Arctic fisheries grossly underestimated, study shows
Canada, Russia and the United States have drastically under-estimated the size of their fisheries in the
Arctic, says a new study from the University of British Columbia.
Researchers with UBC's Fisheries Centre and Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences crunched the
numbers and say catches in Arctic waters are actually 75-times higher than reported to the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Their research suggested small scale, often subsistence fisheries in Russian, American and Canadian
Arctic waters totalled 950,000 tonnes between 1950 and 2006. That is dramatically higher than the
declared catch of just under 13,000 tonnes.
Quebec
Joyride at 240 km/h will cost $2,598 and 42 demerit points
A lead-footed motorist was caught driving so fast - police say they clocked him at 240 km/h in a 70 km/h
zone - that he lost nearly enough demerit points to have his licence confiscated, nearly three times over.
Police won't confirm reports that the man was a valet at a downtown Montreal hotel, and that he was
taking out a guest's BMW for a joyride.
Alcohol was not detected, police said.
His licence was suspended. He has also been assessed a fine of $2,598, and lost 42 demerit points. It
takes 15 demerits to lose your licence in Quebec.
Star wire services
Back to Top
Section: News
Title: Diplomacy frozen in the desert; Domestic politics, cultural missteps led to Canada-U.A.E. dispute
'The two sides didn't understand each other well, didn't understand where they were coming from' Tarik
Yousef, dean, Dubai School of Government 'We've heard from the very highest levels on the U.A.E. side
that it really is business as usual, that business is separate from politics' Dany Assaf, Toronto lawyer who
works in Dubai
Page: A22
Byline: Bruce Campion-Smith
Outlet: Toronto Star
Illustrations: {li}The Ornge booth in the Canadian Pavilion at the Arab Health Exhibition in Dubai last
month. Canadian businesses hope for a quick end to the diplomatic dispute between Canada and the
U.A.E. The University Health Network was among the Canadian businesses represented at the Arab
Health Exhibition in Dubai last month. A sign near Minhad Air Base south of Dubai warns motorists to turn
back and not take photographs. The base was the site of Camp Mirage, Canada's staging post for its
military mission in Afghanistan. Nousha Salimi For the Toronto Star NOUSHA SALIMI FOR THE
TORONTO STAR CARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STAR BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH/TORONTO STAR{/li}
Date: 2011-02-05
Down this two-lane road in the desert, south of the glitz and glamour of Dubai, lies a secret the United
Arab Emirates, even now, wants to keep under wraps.
Bright red roadside signs warn motorists of no photographs and "no approach."
But continue past the camels wandering at roadside, past the tan-coloured jet perched on a pedestal, and
you come to the front gates of the Minhad Air Base, where an armoured vehicle stands ready to stop
interlopers.
For nine years, this airbase was Canada's staging post for its Afghan mission. From here, military
transport planes ferried supplies and troops - and on two occasions Prime Minister Stephen Harper - into
Kandahar.
The Canadians called it Camp Mirage, its actual location never formally publicized out of respect for the
U.A.E., which didn't want its support of Western militaries broadly known.
The secret is out now and the diplomatic spat that cost Canada the use of this key base is no illusion. And
the story of how Canada came to diplomatic blows with this tiny Persian Gulf nation is one of tangled
diplomacy, domestic politics and, in the blunt assessment of one observer, the Conservatives' anti-Arab
agenda.
"Un-Canadian."
It's a comment heard frequently as local academics and business people try to describe the diplomatic tiff
that has put a freeze on Canada-U.A.E. relations.
"I think everyone was a bit caught off guard," said Tarik Yousef, dean of the Dubai School of Government,
a think-tank affiliated with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. "The two sides didn't understand
each other well, didn't understand where they were coming from, how much this mattered, the
constraints, the options, the timeline."
Like two spurned lovers, there are bruised feelings on both sides.
For Emiratis, there is the sense that their contribution to the war effort - hosting Canada rent-free for nine
years, welcoming its warships at its ports and even sending troops to Afghanistan - wasn't recognized or
respected in Ottawa.
On the Canadian side, there's deep animosity at what they claim was the U.A.E.'s decision to link its
demand for greater air access to Canadian airports with Canada's continued use of Camp Mirage.
Officials in the U.A.E. insist the two issues were never explicitly linked. Instead, they say it was only
raised in the context of the broader bilateral relationship - in a moment of frustration as talks over the air
access dragged. But there is acknowledgement here that raising the base issue at all was a mistake.
It prompted Harper to lash out at the U.A.E., calling into question the sheikdom's loyalty as an ally,
remarks that have caused hard feelings here.
For Emiratis who prefer quiet diplomacy and emphasis on friendships, the Canadian backlash has caught
them off guard - and left them angry.
Yousef called the public attacks on the U.A.E. "uncharacteristically un-Canadian."
With a possible federal election in the offing, he wondered whether Harper's tough talk was aimed at
impressing a Canadian audience.
"Perhaps they played too much to the domestic political equilibrium in Canada and ignored the profound
effect when people heard them," he said. "That again reflects culturally, political misunderstanding of how
things work."
The Canadians are faulted for failing to comprehend the importance the U.A.E. - having staked a chunk of
their economy on aviation - placed on getting those extra flights.
"They asked for something small in their view, that was important to them, that was casually disregarded,"
said Taufiq Rahim, a Canadian academic who is a visiting fellow at the school. "They felt they were doing
a lot of giving and Canada was doing a lot of the taking.
"It's par for the course for Harper in the region. I think he has a disregard overall for the Middle East, the
importance of relationships with countries here."
Yousef suggests the U.S. would not have made the same mistake.
"U.S. foreign policy machinery is much more capable, much more aware, much more able to operate and
get things done, if only because it has invested a long period of time, invested a lot of resources and a lot
of people on the ground," he said.
Yet Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor at Emirates University, doesn't buy the explanation
that fouled diplomacy is to blame.
Harper, he said, is too "sophisticated" for that. Instead, he charges that Conservatives' pro-Israel agenda
was behind the decision to snub this Arab country.
Sporting traditional Arab dress, Abdulla is soft-spoken but blunt.
"This country has been very generous," he said. "I don't know Canada can ever repay our generosity . . .
It's very uncharacteristic of Canada to come out like this."
By picking a fight with the U.A.E., Canada risks alienating the Gulf nations and the broader Arab
community - at potential cost to business and diplomatic relations, he warns.
"We'll have more anti-Canadian sentiment running through the Arab world, even more than anti-American
feelings," he said.
"Is Canada happy to be in that position? That is a question I would like to ask Canadians."
Just what this episode will cost Canada remains uncertain. Already, there are concerns that the U.A.E.'s
costly new visa restrictions - up to $1,000 for a multiple-entry visa - could prove a hassle to business.
More than 25,000 Canadians work in the U.A.E. and the two countries have a trade relationship valued at
$1.5 billion.
So far, Canadians doing business here, such as lawyer Dany Assaf, are staying optimistic.
"We've heard from the very highest levels on the U.A.E. side that it really is business as usual, that
business is separate from politics," said Assaf, of the firm Bennett Jones, which opened its Dubai office
last November, just as the diplomatic freeze was setting in.
On the Canadian side, "there's a desire to contain it, there's a desire to find ways to fix things," he said.
"As naive as this may sound, a lot of this is just really misunderstanding," he added. "They don't intend to
offend Canadians. They've been very generous with us in terms of our military personnel, the use of the
base, all the medical support."
That's echoed by Hani Obeid, a Canadian businessman who has lived in Dubai since 2004.
"We are all optimistic that this will come and go. From a business perspective, things are normal," he said
over coffee at a Starbucks in the Dubai Mall.
Still, he cautioned federal politicians in Ottawa not to underestimate the potential long-term harm their
harsh words are having here.
"You work all these years to develop a brand name like Canada . . . I don't want politicians to stand in my
way," said Obeid, who works in information technology.
The irony is that Canada and the U.A.E. almost had a deal a year ago when Ottawa was close to
approving six flights a week each for Emirates and Etihad into Toronto, up from three each now.
U.A.E. officials were reassured that a solution was "near." Yet weeks dragged on as behind the scenes
opponents pressed the government. Then came the leaked claim that the U.A.E. had put Camp Mirage
on the negotiating table and the mood turned ugly.
Officials from both governments met twice over the summer - first in Abu Dhabi, then in Paris - without
success to resolve the escalating crisis.
In early September, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon met his U.A.E. counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, in New York in a last-ditch summit to repair relations. The meeting, which stretched
more than an hour, ended in acrimony.
"It was terrible. It was heated. There was yelling," said one source familiar with the meeting.
Al Nahyan called it the "worst meeting" he's ever had as foreign minister, the source said.
Soon after, the U.A.E. refused to renew Canada's lease for the airbase, leaving Canada searching for a
replacement even as its Afghan mission was renewed for another three years.
The issue of additional landing rights is "dead" for now.
"The hope now is that the broader bilateral relationship doesn't deteriorate," the source said.
Back to Top
Section: Comment Column
Outlet: The Globe And Mail
Byline: JEFFREY SIMPSON
Title: Are Canadians more conservative? No
Page: F9
Date: 2011-02-05
jsimpson@globeandmail.com
It's widely said that Canada is moving politically to the right and that Canadians are becoming generally
more conservative in their outlook on public matters.
It's an assertion based sometimes on hope, often on conjecture, occasionally on fragmentary evidence,
but never on serious facts and deep analysis. Indeed, the latest Focus Canada survey by the Environics
Institute so completely demolishes the assertion that perhaps it can be laid to rest.
Focus Canada has been around for more than three decades and, as such, provides excellent insight into
whether Canadian attitudes have changed. Some of its questions go back three decades, others only a
decade. What's stunning is how stable Canadian public opinion has been.
There have been some drifts in public attitudes, mostly by Canadians becoming more socially liberal.
Focus Canada finds Canadians much more tolerant or supportive of gay marriage and abortion - and less
favourable to capital punishment - than a decade or two ago.
On crime - the Harper government's big thrust - Canadians are way offside with the government's
approach. Eighty-two per cent of Canadians don't fear crime in their neighbourhood, and 77 per cent
aren't afraid to walk there at night.
By a whopping 58 per cent to 36 per cent, Canadians prefer prevention programs and education over
tougher punishments as a way to combat crime. This sort of approach, of course, is diametrically opposite
the one chosen by the Conservatives, who keep announcing headline-grabbing but functionally useless
``tough on crime'' measures. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents ``strongly'' or ``somewhat'' support
federal gun regulations.
If little evidence exists that Canadians are becoming more conservative on crime, what about other
priorities? These priorities, it turns out, are hardly conservative favourites, if by conservative we mean
smaller government.
Focus Canada's survey finds Canadians' top spending priorities to be education, health care, elderly
programs, the environment and reducing child poverty. At the bottom are foreign aid, justice, defence,
domestic security and arts and culture. The ordering of these priorities hasn't changed much in two
decades, except that support for defence spending - which soared with the Afghan engagement - has
returned to the low levels of the 1990s.
Conservative-minded types don't much like talking about income inequalities, but Canadians think they
exist and are widening. A staggering 88 per cent believe the gap between rich and poor has widened in
the past decade, and 81 per cent believe the government should reduce the gap.
By 55 per cent to 41 per cent, Canadians believe the tax system is ``unfair'' to ordinary Canadians, but
they are overwhelmingly willing to think taxes are a public good to provide a good quality of life. By an
astonishing 90 per cent to 4 per cent, Canadians believe they have a better quality of life than Americans.
Canadians remain passionately wedded to their health-care system. Asked for the most important symbol
of Canadian identity, the largest number chose health care - above the Charter of Rights, the flag, the
anthem, the RCMP and everything else. (The monarchy ranked at the bottom.) The only change in the
past decade is the growing majority who believe people should have the right to buy private health care if
the public system can't provide timely access.
The Harper government can take heart that 52 per cent of Canadians are satisfied with the country's
direction, compared with 40 per cent who aren't. That's the second-highest satisfaction rating (after
China's) in the world. The Liberals' counterthrust that Canadians feel worse off than five years ago and so
should turf the Conservatives from office will be a tough sell.
Overall, Focus Canada shows a people very proud of their country (even in Quebec, where 43 per cent
are very proud and another 43 per cent are somewhat proud), rather confident about the future, satisfied
(more or less) with the country's direction, supportive of the country's institutions (except political parties),
very favourable to immigrants, yet concerned about their delayed integration, and, by every account, not
becoming more conservative.
Back to Top
Section: News
Lead: A French-language elementary school preparing to move from CFB Kingston to central Kingston
this year is already expanding to include high school students.
Headline: French schools will merge
Page: 3
Byline: PAUL SCHLIESMANN, THE WHIG-STANDARD
Outlet: The Kingston Whig-Standard
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
A French-language elementary school preparing to move from CFB Kingston to central Kingston this year
is already expanding to include high school students.
The Conseil des ecoles pub -liques de l'Est de l'Ontario announced this week that Madeleine-de-Roybon
elementary school will share space with Mille-Iles secondary school this fall.
Renovations will begin soon to expand and upgrade the former Duncan McArthur Public School, which
will house about 260 junior kindergarten to Grade 6 children and 70 Grade 7 to 12 students.
Madeleine-de-Roybon is currently located at CFB Kingston while Mille-Iles is in the former Calvin Park
Public School.
"No, it was not the original intention," said education director Francois Benoit of the merger. "We were
able to conclude a deal with the Limestone Board of Education to resolve the high school."
No price tag has been set for the expansion at the decommissioned Duncan McArthur, which now
includes a new wing for the high school component.
Renovation costs for the elementary school had been pegged at $5 million.
The board is waiting for final approval from the provincial education ministry.
Part of the funding will come from a financial settlement recently completed with the Limestone District
School Board.
In 1998, the provincial Education Improvement Commission granted governance to the newly created
system of French-language boards.
As part of the restructuring, English-language public boards were required to provide a fair transfer of
assets to their new French-language counterparts.
Since that time, the Frenchlanguage public board has been renting space in the Calvin Park Public
School building from the Limestone board.
The agreement will end this spring and the Limestone board will pay the French board $1.2 million over
five years. The money will be used to finance the new school at Duncan McArthur.
Benoit said the elementary and secondary students will be segregated within the school, just as they are
at three other JK to Grade 12 schools operated by the board across eastern Ontario.
"They're all working well," he said.
Staff and school councils at both Kingston schools were informed of the merger on Monday and
Wednesday.
"It was received well," said Benoit.
But the move has strained relations in the past with some families at Madeleine-de-Roybon.
In 2009, the parents went to court seeking an injunction to halt the move.
Some of the opponents included the former commander of CFB Kingston and federal defence minister
Peter MacKay
In a letter to local MPP Peter Milliken, MacKay predicted "a significant reduction of the quality of life for
those francophone and military families that use the school."
The parents lost the case in a January 2010 ruling that cleared the way for the school board to continue
with its plans for the transfer to Duncan McArthur.
Benoit said all of those issues have been resolved with parents.
"It's going along very well," he said of relations.
Demographics support the school expansion in Kingston, according to Benoit.
The two schools are a draw for the children of military personnel and staff at Royal Military College.
"Kingston is a nice area," said Benoit. "We have the military base, which is hiring a lot of bilingual people.
It is designated as a bilingual city.
"We are increasing at the elementary level and we're hoping for an increase at the secondary level now
that we have the facilities," he said.
The full-sized high school gym, computer lab, air conditioning and cafeteria should help attract even more
students.
"It's a nice school. We also have the international bacca -laureate program. We will have a super gym.
And we have very good EQAO (provincial testing) results," said Benoit.
pschliesmann@thewhig.com
© 2011 Sun Media Corporation
Back to Top
Section: News
Byline: RENE BRUEMMER
Outlet: Montreal Gazette
# Illustrations: Colour Photo: DARIO AYALA , THE GAZETTE / Soldiers from the 5th Service Battalion
march during a search-and-rescue training exercise at the Farnham base on Thursday, preparing for a
large Arctic exercise this month in James Bay.
# Colour Photo: Video: Military in action. Lt. Col. Daniel Riviere of the 5th Canadian ServiceBattalion
explains an emergency winter training exercise involving his soldiers. A video by Rene Bruemmer and
Dario Ayala, at montrealgazette.com/videos
Headline: Nordic Warriors invade Farnham; Exercise prepares soldiers for frosty Arctic mission
Page: A3
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
Dateline: FARNHAM
Source: The Gazette
A military jet has crashed into a wooded field in Farnham in the Eastern
Townships, injuring the pilots and severely wounding a passenger and two farmers on the ground.
Screaming residents stumble through thigh-high snow, trying to get to their friends as smoke pours from
the fuselage. One man lies face down, blood spattering the snow around his body.
Then the army appears.
Specifically, soldiers from the 200 members of the 5th Service Battalion of the Canadian Armed Forces
who have travelled to the Eastern Townships this week from their base in Valcartier near Quebec City.
They're in the midst of a training operation called Frosty Soldier at the Farnham military base in
preparation for one of the largest Arctic military exercises to be held starting this month in James Bay.
More than 1,300 soldiers, along with 200 civilians, will be gathering for Exercise Guerrier Nordique
(Nordic Warrior), to bolster the military's northern mandate of search and rescue operations,
reconnaissance patrols and "sovereignty patrols," protecting that part of the Arctic that Canada considers
ours.
In 2009, as international players like the U.S. and Russia were making noises about who owns the land,
waterways and seabeds in the north and the potential resources within, Canada's military formed the
Arctic Response Company Group, composed of four regiments, "to assert Canada's sovereignty in the
Arctic and sub-Arctic regions" and support the regular forces and Canadian Rangers already patrolling
there.
As the Canadian military prepares to withdraw most of its troops from the dusty heat of Afghanistan this
year, Canadian soldiers are starting to reacquaint themselves with our country, often equated with winter.
Which is why the soldiers of the 5th Service Battalion group, whose mandate normally is to provide troops
with supplies of gear, food and ammunition, is carrying out a search-and-rescue and first aid training
course in the snow.
A soldier's responsibility is to help its citizens, and in northern communities, the army might be the only
entity around to provide rescue operations.
"We're getting back to our roots," said Lt.-Col. Daniel Riviere of the 5th Battalion. "We're working in the
snow."
And the cold. On this day it's minus 13C, minus 22 with the wind chill, which one of the soldiers refers to
in true Canadian warrior fashion as "not so bad."
Further north it can get much worse. Members of Quebec regiment Les Voltigeurs slept out in tents in
temperatures that dipped to minus 60C last winter. To ensure they don't die before the enemy arrives,
soldiers are well equipped these days, wearing several layers of relatively lightweight gear that keeps
them warm and dry.
"It's generally like gear you would get at Mountain Equipment Co-op," said Lt. Michele Tremblay. "Except
it's all in green, or camouflage."
The secret to survival in Canada's killing cold is to stay dry, so soldiers on overnight missions carry
backpacks weighing 25 kilograms filled with two changes of clothes. There are extra felt liners for the
boots, and three layers to their sleeping bags: a felt inside layer, a down sleeping bag in the middle and a
waterproof exterior shell.
Also in the bag is a pot to cook with, water bottles, matches, a shovel, and personal gear like a
toothbrush. On their bodies they carry four-kilogram C7 rifles, extra ammunition clips, a bayonet and
grenades.
For this week's exercise, the soldiers carry less gear, running in to assess the mock plane crash situation,
triage the patients in order of the severity of their wounds (the corpse is carried out last) and evacuate all
from the smouldering wreckage. They will also practise contending with equipment failures, mechanical
repairs and fuelling vehicles in temperatures well below freezing. rbruemmer@montrealgazette.com
Back to Top
Section: Local
Byline: Andrea Gunn
Outlet: The Telegram (St. John's)
# Illustrations: Maj. Terrence Stead, shown here in Afghanistan in 2007, is going to be named a member
of the Order of Military Merit, an honour that recognizes a lifetime of exceptional service to the Canadian
Forces. Stead and his wife, Pte. Shirley Stead, live in Gander.
Headline: Gander man to receive prestigious militaryhonour
Page: A4
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
Dateline: Gander
Source: Transcontinental Media; The Beacon
In March, a member of 5 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group in Gander will be rewarded for a lifetime of
dedication, commitment and service.
Maj. Terrence Gordon Stead and 114 other Canadians will receive the Order of Military Merit - the
second-highest military order awarded by Canada's governor general.
Gov. Gen. David Johnston will present the awards in Ottawa. The award was created in 1972 to
recognize meritorious service and devotion to duty by members of the Canadian Forces.
Stead is the only Newfoundlander getting the honour this year.
"Other people who have received this award, they stand out as shining examples," he said.
"I wouldn't have thought of me in that way, but they're exceptional characters in the military, people who
give something to the forces that other people might not."
Stead grew up in Catalina and has lived in Gander since 2005. He spent the years in between in various
postings across Canada and overseas.
Since he joined the Canadian Forces infantry at 17, he has been on seven overseas tours, including
Cyprus twice during a war between the Greeks and the Turks; Bosnia three times during the ethnic
clashes in the fall of communist Yugoslavia; and, most recently, to Afghanistan in 2007.
"When I was in kindergarten, you how know the teacher goes around and asks you what you're going to
do when you grow up? Well, I said I was going to be a captain in the army," Stead said.
It was a goal he would meet decades later.
He began his career as a private but worked his way up through the ranks. He was posted in Gander in
2005 to work for the provincial Canadian Rangers headquarters, and earned the rank of major in 2010. "A
Canadian ranger is a civilian volunteer who joins the Canadian Forces reserves ... and his job is to
provide visibility to the Canadian Forces across sparsely populated areas, places where the average
person can't get to, and they patrol those areas for us, they're our eyes and ears," said Stead, adding
there are more than 5,000 Rangers across Canada and 900 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"They can be school teachers, town mayors, helicopter pilots, you name it. ... It's an assortment of people
but they have one thing in common: love of the land."
When asked what's made him most proud in his 30 years of service, Stead said he enjoys seeing the
growth and success of the Canadian Rangers, whose membership has increased by 180 since he's been
posted in Gander.
"Everybody is wonderful and they all have the same common interest as I do, being an outdoors person.
Wherever you go with the Rangers you're making friends, lifelong friends. ... The Canadian Rangers can
take care of themselves, they're very independent people and they know what's being asked of them and
they do it, but we're given the opportunity to support them, so being able to do that job makes me pretty
proud."
Stead, whose wife and two sons are also in the Forces, said receiving an award that commends an entire
lifetime of service is a huge honour.
"This award stands out in my mind because it's not often you get recognized for a career. Sometimes you
get recognition for a single thing. I received a Chief of Defence Staff Commendation for a riot that
occurred in Cyprus in '86, so that's a quick thing - you do your little trick, you get a commendation and
away you go," he said. "But this, this is about a lifetime award, so after 30 years plus of service, to be
recognized for all of that is quite overwhelming, really."
Back to Top
Section: Letters
Byline: Peter MacKay
Outlet: National Post
# Illustrations: Black & White Photo: /
Headline: Liberal hypocrisy on F-35s
Page: A25
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
Source: National Post
Re: Still Time To Cancel The F-35s, letter to the editor, Jan. 31.
Since Dominic Leblanc was a member of the Liberal government that brought Canada into the Joint
Strike Fighter program, it is surprising that he continues to mislead Canadians about the Conservative
government's plans to buy the much needed F-35 joint strike fighter. As Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of National Defence, he was an advocate of Canada's participation in this unique program.
Here are the facts: Experts have weighed Canada's options for replenishing our fighter fleet. The
conclusion was clear: the F-35 is the ideal aircraft for keeping our airmen and women safe; it provides up
to $12-billion in unprecedented opportunities for Canadian industry who are positioned to bid on contracts
through the global supply chain; it is the responsible choice for Canadian taxpayers. It is the only fighter
that will allow us to work hand in glove with our NATO allies over the decades to come.
The Liberals have said that they would cancel our plans to proceed with the Liberal-initiated F-35
program. Such a decision would put the jobs of Canadian aerospace workers at risk, jeopardize millions
in taxpayer dollars already invested during Liberal governments, and open a possible operational gap
when the Canadian Forces retire our current fighter, the CF-18.
It would be surprising that the Liberals would be so irresponsible on an important military procurement -but then again, they wasted a billion dollars when they cancelled the purchase of our Sea King
replacements in 1993. Dominic Leblanc and the Liberal party need to stop playing politics with important
military procurements.
Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, Ottawa.
Back to Top
Section: NovaScotia
Byline: Eva Hoare Staff Reporter
Outlet: The Chronicle-Herald
# Illustrations: Retired brigadier-general Ned Amy had numerous honours bestowed upon him for his
battle prowess throughout Europe and Korea. (Staff)
Headline: Decorated soldier dies; Ned Amy, 94, was 'more than a commander'
Page: A4
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
One of Canada's highest decorated and respected tank officers of the Second World War has died.
Retired brigadier-general Ned Amy, 94, died Wednesday in the Camp Hill hospital, said several members
of the military.
"He was marvellous," said Amy's good friend, retired major-general Clive Addy, colonel-commandant of
the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. "He was more than a commander. He was a person who was very
human in his command," said Addy in an interview from his home in Perth, Ont. "I think I will have a
'Remember Ned Amy' toast."
Aside from numerous honours bestowed upon him for his battle prowess throughout Europe and Korea,
Amy will be best remembered in Nova Scotia for his tireless effort to have the Halifax Rifles returned to
the Canadian Order of Battle.
"There is nobody of the commandants after Ned Amy who did not get a minimum of five calls per year
(from him saying), 'So what are you doing about the Halifax Rifles?' " Addy said of his predecessor in
Halifax.
Amy accomplished his mission in 2009, when Defence Minister Peter MacKay made it official.
After that success, Addy remembers Amy turning to him and saying, "Well Clive, I've done my part, you
keep them there."
Another military friend, retired colonel John Boileau, also recalled Amy's doggedness in having the Halifax
Rifles restored to its former glory.
"I really got to know him when I started serving in Halifax in 1990," Boileau said in an interview Thursday.
Now retired, Boileau was chief of staff of Land Force Atlantic Area from 1990-94. He remembers Amy's
numerous visits to prod the military into returning Halifax Rifles to the Order of Battle.
"He finally succeeded," Boileau proudly recalled.
Boileau first met Amy in 1967 in Germany when the brigadier-general commanded the 10,000-man strong
Canadian brigade that was in Germany as part of Canada's commitment to NATO.
"He was at the top of the heap of our Canadian troops in Germany and I was at the bottom," Boileau said,
noting that he was only a tank troop leader at the time.
Both Boileau and Addy remember Amy for his modesty despite the incredible honours he received.
A couple of years ago, Addy said he and Amy were at CFB Gagetown to be briefed on simulation training.
After they took in a technology presentation, Amy said to Addy, "That does it Clive, neither you and I were
smart enough to join today's army!"
Addy also recalled how touched Amy was when CFB Gagetown named its tank park the Amy Tank Park.
"He broke down. He was extremely touched. He was a man who didn't like big shows about him. He was
an honest, a modest man."
Boileau, who visited Amy in hospital on Monday, has similar remembrances of his friend. "He was tiny
man, a small man, but one of the biggest-hearted individuals I'd ever know."
MacKay said, "Ned will be remembered by all who knew him as a dedicated soldier, a generous and
vibrant human being, and a truly great Canadian."
NDP defence critic Peter Stoffer called him "one of Canada's greatest heroes. He was about five feet tall
but pound-for-pound one of the strongest-willed people in all of Canada."
Both politicians credited Amy with the successful campaign to reinstate the Halifax Rifles.
Amy could well have been the most decorated Canadian soldier when he died, Boileau said.
Amy received the following awards during his military career:
- Distinguished Service Order during the Second World War from Canada for his part in the liberation of
the Netherlands.
- The Military Cross during the Second World War from Canada for determined and gallant leadership
while holding a vital bridgehead over the Moro River when he was serving in Italy.
- The Order of the British Empire for his service during the Korean War.
- The United States Bronze Star for his service in Korea.
In July 2007, Amy received the highest order France bestows, the Legion d'honneur, for helping liberate
that country during the Second World War.
Amy retired from active service in 1972.
Maj. Mario Couture, head of public affairs for Land Force Atlantic in Halifax, said the military is awaiting
word from Amy's family as to funeral service details.
"We stand ready to support a military funeral," said Couture. "We will go with what the family wishes.
They have the lead."
Addy, whose father was a great friend of Amy's as well, said he and his colleagues were reminiscing
about the "great warrior" on Thursday.
"He could look through your heart from his limited height," said Addy. "He was an absolutely fine and
wonderful gentleman. His war history was absolutely amazing. He had a good ride."
Back to Top
Section: News
Headline: Border deal 'not about sovereignty,' PM says; Harper, Obama strike agreement on security
perimeter
Page: A1
Byline: Les Whittington Toronto Star
Outlet: Toronto Star
# Illustrations: Obama and Harper after announcing their landmark border agreement yesterday. Prime
Minister Stephen Harper looks on as U.S. President Barack Obama speaks on Friday in Washington of a
securityring around the two countries. SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES JIM YOUNG/REUTERS
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
A jointly operated Canada-U.S. border security ring around the two countries is now part of Canadians'
future.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper set in motion historic changes in border and trade ties with the United
States on Friday, a radical overhaul in relations with Washington that Harper said had no impact on
Canadian sovereignty.
The far-reaching concept of a security perimeter encircling Canada and the U.S. - with shared border
facilities manned by interchangeable guards relying on hi-tech information on both countries' travellers was given the stamp of approval after a meeting between Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama at
the White House.
The declaration on a joint perimeter is part of a wider vision of enhanced bilateral cooperation that is
intended to strengthen Canada-U.S. anti-terrorism capability and reduce barriers to cross-border trade
that have worsened since Sept. 11, 2001.
The framework agreement, which has been under secret negotiation for months, is seen by some in
Canada as the most significant challenge to Canadian sovereignty since the free-trade talks of the 1980s.
But Harper brushed aside such concerns. "This declaration is not about sovereignty," he said during a
news conference with Obama.
Both Canada and the U.S. are sovereign countries, he said, adding it's in Canada's interest to "work with
our partners in the United States to ensure that our borders are secure and ensure that we can trade and
travel across them as safely and as openly as possible within the context of our different laws."
The project is laid out in a five-page declaration entitled Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for
Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness. Both governments set up a committee of high-level
officials to implement the agreement in coming months.
It envisions wide-ranging joint police, intelligence and border operations that, taken together, could give
U.S. security officials a much bigger say in Canada's immigration controls, border operations and current
policies on the sharing of information on Canadians with the U.S.
"We intend to pursue a perimeter approach to security, working together within, at and away from the
borders of our two countries to enhance our security and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods
and services between our two countries," the statement says.
To do so, the two countries will "work toward common technical standards for the collection, transmission
and matching of biometrics that enable the sharing of information on travellers in real time," according to
the declaration. "This collaboration should facilitate combined Canadian and United States screening
efforts and strengthen methods of threat notification."
Also envisioned are an integrated Canada-U.S. entry-exit system based on the exchange of "relevant
entry information" at land borders; the enhancement of "integrated cross-border law enforcement
operations" including "cross-designated officers" and the development of "joint facilities and programs
within and beyond Canada and the United States."
The idea of throwing up a security perimeter that encompasses both Canada and the U.S. arose in the
aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, when tighter U.S. security began to slow travel and shipments to the U.S.
The Canadian sovereignty issues raised by a joint security perimeter were until now seen as political
quicksand.
But Harper is pushing ahead with the idea.
"As I have said before, a threat to the United States is a threat to Canada - to our trade, to our interests,
to our values, to our common civilization. Canada has no friends among America's enemies, and America
has no better friend than Canada," he said as Obama looked on.
"So we commit to expanding our management of the border to the concept of a North American
perimeter, not to replace or eliminate the border but, where possible, to streamline and decongest it," he
said.
Obama expressed confidence that the new Canada-U.S. relationship could work to both countries'
advantage.
"With respect to security issues and sovereignty issues, obviously Canada and the United States are not
going to match up perfectly on every measure with respect to how we balance security issues, privacy
issues, openness issues. But we match up more than probably any (countries) on Earth.
"And I have great confidence that Prime Minister Harper is going to be very protective of certain core
values of Canada, just as I would be very protective of the core values of the United States, and those
won't always match up perfectly," Obama said.
The two countries also agreed to pursue a range of measures to streamline and improve border facilities
and procedures to improve bilateral trade.
Opposition parties and Canadian nationalists are already raising the alarm about Harper's perimeter
security project.
"It could mean the wholesale adoption of U.S. security, surveillance, immigration and military practices in
return for a hollow promise of a 'thinner' border for trade," the Ottawa-based Council of Canadians said.
"The result will be two borders: one U.S.-patrolled around the perimeter, the other a persistent irritant
along the 49th parallel."
But business groups concerned about the negative economic impact of a clogged border welcomed the
agreement.
"The comprehensive framework agreement signed by the two leaders in Washington, D.C., will help to
underpin the economic recovery, strengthen job creation and make North America a more attractive
destination for foreign investment," said John Manley, CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
In the news conference, Harper also said he and the president had talked about a controversial proposal
to build a $7 billion pipeline to take petroleum from Canada's oilsands to refineries in Texas. Harper took
the opportunity to promote Canada as a source of energy for the U.S.
"I think it is clear to anyone who understands this issue - that the need of the United States for fossil fuels
(which is) far in excess of its ability to produce such energy - will be the reality for some time to come,"
Harper told the media.
"And the choice that the United States faces in all of these matters is whether to increase its capacity, to
accept such energy from the most secure, most stable and friendliest location it can possibly get that
energy - which is Canada - or from other places that are not as secure, stable or friendly to the interests
and values of the United States."
The two leaders also discussed joint efforts to advance clean energy research and build a more efficient
electricity grid - projects that are being pursued under the bilateral "Clean Energy Dialogue" announced
when Obama visited Canada in 2009.
'Fox don't do French'
As is standard practice, Prime Minister Stephen Harper answered several questions in French on Friday.
"I love French," President Barack Obama asserted at one point, expressing regret he could not
understand it, much less speak it while answering the queries of Canadian journalists.
But his affection for the language was apparently not shared by at least one U.S. all-news network,
however. Fox News cut away when Harper switched languages. "Fox don't do French," anchor Shep
Smith was heard to exclaim after the channel shifted gears.
The Canadian Press
Back to Top
Section: News
Outlet: Edmonton Journal
Headline: NATO chief warns Europe over defence cuts
Page: A4
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
Dateline: MUNICH
Source: Agence France-Presse
NATO's chief chided European governments Friday over their shrinking military budgets, warning that it
would leave Europe weaker in a fast-moving world marked by turmoil in the Arab world.
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen cautioned that a dramatic reduction in defence spending
would seriously diminish Europe's ability to respond to crises and risked alienating the United States.
"As I speak, fast-moving events are unfolding in Egypt, Tunisia, and elsewhere in the Middle East and
North Africa," Rasmussen told the Munich Security Conference, an annual meeting of leaders in the
defence field.
"The outcome of this turmoil remains unclear, its long-term consequences unpredictable. But one thing
we know: old certainties no longer hold, tectonic plates are shifting," he said.
The Arab world has been rocked by popular revolts in recent weeks that have led to the ouster of
Tunisia's autocratic leader, shaken the 30-year rule of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and prompted government
shakeups in Jordan and Yemen.
"At stake today is not just the world economy, but the world order. So why, now of all times, should
Europe conclude that it no longer needs to invest in defence?"
The United States accounted for just under half of NATO's total defence spending 10 years ago, but the
country's share has grown to 75 per cent today, the head of the 28-nation alliance said.
He encouraged Europeans to make better use of their money as well as pool and share military
capabilities in a time of austerity across the continent.
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Section: Editorial/Opinion
Lead: With the world transfixed by the spectacle of throngs of anti-government protesters filling the
streets of Cairo, scant international attention has been paid to the historic news that the people of
Southern Sudan have voted almost unanimously to separate from Northern Sudan.
Headline: Harper should focus attention on Southern Sudan, not Egypt
Page: 5
Byline: GEOFFREY P. JOHNSTON
Outlet: The Kingston Whig-Standard
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
With the world transfixed by the spectacle of throngs of anti-government protesters filling the streets of
Cairo, scant international attention has been paid to the historic news that the people of Southern Sudan
have voted almost unanimously to separate from Northern Sudan.
While Prime Minister Stephen Harper issues bland statements urging Egyptians to engage in a peaceful
dialogue, the reality is that Canada has no influence over the dramatic events unfolding there.
Harper should instead be focusing on Canada's unprecedented opportunity to assist in the birth of Africa's
newest nation, instilling in Southern Sudan the Canadian values of equality, inclusiveness, good
governance and respect for human rights.
Having endured decades of subjugation at the hands of a brutal Arab regime and suffered through a
bloody civil war, the mainly black African population of Southern Sudan is eager for the promises of
democracy to be fulfilled.
Last month's referendum on national self-determination for Southern Sudan, which is mostly Christian,
was mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005, which ended Africa's longest
civil war.
According to preliminary results released on Sunday by the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, a
staggering 99% of ballots were cast in favour of secession from Northern Sudan, which is ruled by an
Islamist regime in Khartoum.
Under the terms of the CPA, the north and south must undertake six months of negotiations to settle the
terms of separation before Southern Sudan can legally declare independence.
While negotiators hammer out the details -- the sharing of oil revenues, access to water resources,
borders and citizenship -- a robust United Nations peacekeeping force should be deployed to the disputed
Abyei region, the likely flashpoint for another full scale war.
The UN already has a peacekeeping mission in Sudan, so expanding its mandate to keep the two sides
from fighting in the oil-rich border region makes sense.
Since the establishment of the UN mission in Sudan, a total of 430 Canadian military and civilian
peacekeepers have served there. Given that Sudan is one of the Harper government's foreign policy
priorities, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon should inform the UN Security Council that Canada
would be willing to significantly expand its peacekeeping contribution after Canadian combat troops
withdraw from Afghanistan later this year.
Currently, Canada is providing the Southern Sudanese government with technical support on postreferendum negotiations. In addition, Canada is helping to build up the fledgling nation's health care,
education, and criminal justice systems.
But some observers worry that Canada is not paying enough attention to Southern Sudan's internal
divisions.
"People in Southern Sudan have put their grievances with the Government of Southern Sudan and the
Southern Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) on hold as they wait for independence," says John Lewis, a
human rights expert with Kairos, an ecumenical coalition of Canadian churches.
For example, the Dinka and Nuer, the two main ethnic groups in the south, set aside their differences as
they struggled for independence. But their solidarity is beginning to fray.
"A criticism I heard throughout Southern Sudan is that the Dinka control everything," says Lewis, who has
visited Sudan numerous times and served as an accredited observer of the referendum process, which
was certified by the international community as being fair, credible and democratic.
"For there to be peace in the new country, the (governing) Southern Peoples Liberation Movement and
the army need to diversify and become more inclusive of other Southern Sudanese groups," he says.
Lewis hopes that the Harper government will support Sudanese civil society in monitoring governance
issues in the south.
Sudanese churches, the most respected non-state actors in the south, are the bedrock of civil society in
the impoverished nation.
Church leaders demonstrated their influence and diplomatic skills before the referendum, launching a
successful mission to heal a rift between the military and political leadership that threatened to disrupt the
referendum process and destroy Southern Sudan's unity.
That Southern Sudanese president Salva Kiir made his first public post-referendum statement from the
pulpit of a cathedral in the southern capital of Juba underscored the importance of the church in southern
politics.
If the Harper government is to have an impact in Southern Sudan, it must fully engage with Sudanese
churches, which could help deliver Canadian humanitarian, human rights and education programs.
Building a stable Southern Sudan will require more than physical security. Political and economic
advancements are essential.
To that end, Canada must move quickly on development issues to ensure that southerners' optimism
doesn't turn to disillusionment or hate.
Geoffrey P. Johnston is a local freelance journalist.
© 2011 Sun Media Corporation
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Section: News
Byline: Sheldon Alberts
Outlet: Windsor Star
# Illustrations: Jim Young, Reuters / Stephen Harper, left, and Barack Obama at a news conference in
Washington Friday.
Headline: Harper, Obama tout border revamp
Page: A1 / Front
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
Dateline: WASHINGTON
Source: Postmedia News
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama announced Friday that they are
working toward a "new vision" for the Canadian-American border that will boost trade between the two
countries, and create jobs while reinforcing security.
Speaking at a news conference following a bilateral meeting, the two leaders said they have directed their
teams to develop an action plan "quickly" that seeks to improve the flow of goods and people between
Canada and the United States.
Harper said the declaration made Friday commits the two governments to finding new ways to exclude
terrorists and criminals who pose threats.
It's also about finding ways to eliminate barriers "because simpler rules lead to lower costs for business
and consumers and ultimately to more jobs."
In exchange for the greater co-operation -and U.S. influence -over security, the two governments hope to
speed trade by expanding trustedtraveller programs, adopting common product standards and
harmonizing customs rules for goods crossing at border or at pre-clearance facilities away from the
border.
Canadian and U.S. officials are also seeking a joint approach to beefing up infrastructure at the top 10
publicly owned ports of entry, with particular emphasis on the WindsorDetroit trade corridor.
Harper and Obama touted the close relationship between Canada and the U.S., saying it is like no other
bilateral relationship in the world.
Obama thanked Canada for its contributions in Afghanistan and for extending its mission there to an
ongoing training one.
The agreement to launch negotiations for a perimeter security and trade pact comes after months of
behind-the-scenes -critics say secretive -talks that could lead to the most significant revamp of border
policy in more than two decades.
Officials have sketched out details of a trade-for-security swap aimed at reducing barriers to Canadian
businesses exporting to the U.S. while integrating border control and immigration operations.
Even before Harper and Obama announced the plan, opposition critics in Ottawa raised concerns the
Conservative government risked bartering away Canadian sovereignty in exchange for market access to
the U.S.
A draft agreement that has been circulating for two months prior to Friday's meeting stressed Canada and
the U.S. would "respect our separate constitutional and legal frameworks that protect privacy, civil
liberties" and recognize "the sovereign right of each country to act independently in its own interest."
The discussions between Canadian and U.S. officials have focused on striking a sweeping deal that
would see the two countries adopt a binational approach to security, including the possibility of jointly
operated border facilities and an integrated entry-exit system to travellers to each country.
Countries would develop programs to better verify the identities of travellers, including through common
standards for the use of biometrics and shared information on travellers in real time, according to the
early draft of the border declaration.
The plan envisions far greater cooperation between Canadian and American officials in screening cargo
before it leaves for North America from foreign ports.
Moreover, the Harper government and Obama administration plan far greater information sharing among
each nation's respective law enforcement and intelligence agencies to identify potential terrorists and
criminals in the U.S. and Canada -or before they arrive in either country from overseas.
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Section: Canada
Byline: John Ivison
Outlet: National Post
Headline: Canada could be a very different place
Page: A4
Date: Saturday 05 February 2011
Dateline: OTTAWA
Source: National Post
In his excellent new paper: "Now for the Hard Part: Renewing the Canadian-American Partnership,"
former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson offered some advice for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on
the eve of his departure for Washington to sign a new perimeter security deal with President Barack
Obama.
He quoted Daniel Burnham, the great Chicago architect, who once said: "Make no little plans; they have
no magic to stir men's blood." Mr. Robertson suggested that Mr. Harper should think big.
The new shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness may not stir anyone's blood,
since it is in essence an agreement to seek future agreement. But make no mistake: The Beyond the
Border declaration has the potential to take Canada to the next rung of economic integration with the
United States.
The specifics revealed at the press conference in Washington were limited to bromides about the creation
of a Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council, which has been charged with the task of investigating
why Cheerios on either side of the border have to have a slightly different formulation. But this deal is not
solely consumed with ending the "narcissism of small differences" around regulation -- it has the potential
to be transformative for travellers, businesses and consumers
in ways that will be hailed by some Canadians and deemed unwelcome by others.
Mr. Harper acknowledged that the Washington declaration is a "starting point" for "an ambitious agenda."
He played down fears about Canada's sovereignty being trampled by saying the deal is in the national
interest.
Yet there's no disguising the fact that if the border deal is carried to its logical conclusion, Canada will be
a very different place than it is now.
On migration policy -- possibly the biggest sticking point -- the declaration states that the two countries will
work together "to establish and verify the identities of travellers and conduct screening at the earliest
opportunity."
The intention is that fingerprints and retinal scans will become routine, leading to the evolution of an
integrated entry-exit system, where entry into one country serves to verify exit from the other. This would
require an unprecedented exchange of personal information.
The two countries already share watch-lists and passenger manifest lists for flights crossing each other's
airspace. But public opinion in Canada, already hardened by the Maher Arar case, may not welcome the
sharing of more and more personal information with the Americans.
There was little detail available on how a perimeter security arrangement might work in practice, beyond a
reference to increased cooperation across "air, land and maritime domains, as well as space and
cyberspace." This suggests that the NORAD joint air defence model may be adopted on land and sea.
One practical example may be the emergence of joint customs facilities .
What else will it mean on the ground? Will Canada sign up to the Ballistic Missile Defence program that
Paul Martin's Liberal government snubbed? Will American ships patrol the Northwest Passage, which the
U.S. considers an international waterway but Canada claims as an internal strait? If so, what does that
mean for Mr. Harper's Arctic sovereignty strategy?
In the run-up to a potential election, you might wonder why Mr. Harper is willing to risk the inevitable
assault from the Left that he has sold the country's soul for American gold. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff
foreshadowed his line of attack by saying the deal has the potential to "betray Canadian values." But Mr.
Harper's motives are transparent: jobs.
When the Americans stepped up security at the border after 9/11, they exerted extreme pressure on
Canada's trade jugular. A look at the tourism statistics give some indication of the impact. In 2009,
overnight visits from the U.S. totalled 11.7 million, down from more than 17 million in 2002.
On the business side, border congestion has interrupted just-in-time delivery for products manufactured
on both sides of the border.
The Harper government finally resolved that it had to act and found a willing partner in Barack Obama,
who has his own reasons for wanting trade to flow more freely, not least his stated ambition to double
U.S. exports.
The potential for a deal was greatly improved by the comradeship apparent between the Prime Minister
and the President, who have cooperated effectively on thorny issues ranging from the auto bailout to
Afghanistan.
In the end, the enthusiasm on display in Washington Friday could quickly turn to ennui. The Security and
Prosperity Partnership was launched with similar fanfare by George W. Bush, Mexican president Vicente
Fox and then-prime minister Paul Martin in 2005. It was a similar, if more modest, package but did not
survive the departure of its signatories.
Geoffrey Hale, a professor of political science at the University of Lethbridge, said that this declaration
appears more substantive than anything we've seen in recent years. In his opinion, its success or failure
will depend on whether Mr. Harper and Mr. Obama are truly committed to ensuring they get results from
the various working groups charged with implementing the declaration. "The SPP died of analysis
paralysis, administrative overload and the absence of political will," he said.
The other hurdle to success will be convincing Canadians and Americans that the deal really is in their
respective national interests. We already know that the opposition parties here are intent on debasing the
debate to the level of partisan demagoguery.
But Mr. Ignatieff and his party would be well-advised to listen to one of their own before rushing to
judgment.
As John Manley, the president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and a former Liberal deputy
prime minister, put it: "Sovereignty is enhanced when prosperity is enhanced."
Natonal Post jivison@nationalpost.com
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Media Sources and Abbreviations
Les sources médiatiques et abréviations
AN (L’Acadie Nouvelle)
CG (Charlottetown Guardian)
CH (Calgary Herald)
CSun (Calgary Sun)
Ctz (Ottawa Citizen)
Dr (Le Droit)
Dv (Le Devoir)
EJ (Edmonton Journal)
ESun (Edmonton Sun)
FDG (Fredericton Daily Gleaner)
G&M (Globe and Mail)
Gaz (Montreal Gazette)
HCH (Halifax Chronicle-Herald)
HS (Hamilton Spectator)
JM (Le Journal de Montréal)
JQ (Le Journal de Québec)
KWS (Kingston Whig-Standard)
LFP (London Free Press)
LN (Le Nouvelliste - Trois Rivières)
MT&T (Monton Times and Transcript)
NBTJ (New Brunswick Telegraph Journal)
NP (National Post)
OSun (Ottawa Sun)
Pr (La Presse)
RLP (Regina Leader-Post)
SJT (St. John’s Telegram)
Sol (Le Soleil)
SSP (Saskatoon Star-Phoenix)
TM (Télémédia)
TStar (Toronto Star)
TSun (Toronto Sun)
VSun (Vancouver Sun)
VE (Le Voix de L’Est, Granby)
VProv (Vancouver Province)
VSun (Vancouver Sun)
VTC (Victoria Times-Colonist)
WFP (Winnipeg Free Press)
WStar (Windsor Star)
WSun (Winnipeg Sun)
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