CANADIAN LABOUR/CANADIAN POLITICS-WINNIPEG:

AIR CANADA ATTENDANTS LEAFLET DURING ELECTION CAMPAIGN:

During this election campaign in Winnipeg flight attendants will be leafleting about the closure of the Winnipeg and Halifax bases for Air Canada attendants and how it should be an issue in the election. Here, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), is the story.

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Air Canada Flight Attendants Challenge Political Candidates:
Winnipeg – Air Canada Flight Attendants who are campaigning to keep the flight attendant base open in Winnipeg, are taking their message to the election trail.

The flight attendants will be leafleting a couple of key ridings, to impress upon the public and ultimately the elected politicians, how important it is to keep the Air Canada base in Winnipeg.

According to George Bouchard, President of CUPE Local 4093 in Winnipeg, “we know how important it is to keep the flight attendant base in Winnipeg, so we are not giving up. Air Canada can do the right thing for the public, which we believe is also the right thing for the airline.”

Information on the leafleting locations and flight attendants available for interview can be reached through the contacts below.

In June, the airline announced the closure of bases in Winnipeg and Halifax and the layoff of about 600 flight attendants. Since then an Arbitrator has awarded the attendants limited compensation and some support for adjustments they will have to make to accommodate the airline’s closures.

While the airline claims the cuts and closures will save money, they have not revealed any figures to support their plans. The Union has also conducted a study of the base closures that shows how the airline will be paying up to $2 million a year to maintain flight attendant services if the bases are closed after November 1st this year.

For information, contact:

George Bouchard, CUPE Local 4093 President at (204) 999-3541

Dennis Lewycky, CUPE Communications at (204) 333-5065

STRAY STATISTICS:

WHAT IS WORSE:

Here's a little moral puzzle for our puzzle fans. Which is worse ?

1)Twenty eight years- less than 300 deaths ?

2)Seven and a half years- more than 1,000 deaths ?

Mark your choice and place it in the sealed envelope provided. The first refers to the number of people killed attempting to cross the Berlin Wall in all of its 28 year history. The second refers to the number of Mexican people who have died in the desert while trying to cross the Mexican/US border since the year 2000.

A bit of a contrast, no ? The source is an briefing article in 'The Economist' magazine (Oct. 4) entitled 'Good neighbours make fences' .

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-ROMANIA:

REPORT ON 2008 LOVEKILLS ANARCHA-FEMINIST FESTIVAL:

The following story is from the A-Infos site, and it describes a recent anarcha-feminist gathering in Romania, hostile ground but increasingly-as in all of eastern Europe- putting down anarchist roots. The following has been slightly edited for reasons of English grammar and spelling.

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Romania, Timisoara, Report on the 2008 Lovekills Anarcha-feminist Festival:

On 26th and 27th September 2008 the third edition of the anarcha-feminist festival Lovekills took place in Timisoara, although it seemed almost impossible to organise this kind of festival in a society where ignorance and materialism can be transformed very easy into a violent oppression against everything different. The first problem and the biggest one that the Lovekills Collective encountered was finding a place for this kind of event, but the ones who made this festival possible were the group H.Arta, those who assured us a place to host the workshops, the friends from Timisoara who agreed to put their own homes on the line and put so much time and effort into the so called "minor" problems like cooking, shopping and cleaning, and last, but not least, all the participants from all over that prepared and supported the different workshops.

The festival began at 12 o'clock with the "Welcome " and the presentation of the Lovekills Collective and festival, and it continued with the next workshops :

*Oppression of women by orthodox church

The lecture was focused on the Romanian context and it was part of a case study on the Romanian Orthodox Church related to: state, army, extreme right wing and oppression of women. The lecture was aiming at raising awareness: on how the church is manipulating and oppressing people, and especially women, how it is empowered by state, popular practices and traditions in doing so; bringing up issues that are not easily noticed, especially in regions where religion and church are no longer problems of actuality. Annex: exhibition.

*Latent prostitution

When we think of prostitution we mostly think of direct prostitution that means the direct sexual contact of a prostitute with a client that is supposed to end with money paid by the client to the prostitute but there is also a latent prostitution, a subtle way of prostitution and less evident. This type of prostitution is hidden, secret and has more silent agreement in society then direct prostitution. Latent prostitution doesn't have to be consumed in sexual way but it has similar connotations to sexuality.

*- cut & change-

Cut & change was a workshop about our possibilities to question, change, reinterpret and re-contextualise the messages that are mass- transmitted through our clothing or other items that we use daily. We will cut, sew, paste, draw, combine, rewrite and divert the sexist, consumerist and stereotype messages, transforming them into messages that speak about the possible alternatives.

*-To shave or not to shave …

This is the question – a review on how society looks at "growing" hairs on different parts of the human body, how is this connected with gender roles, what's the point of depilation, do people do it because of beauty standards, health, fashion or is it just one more subject that is just unquestionable.

*- Stencil making workshop –

Stencil is a graffiti technique to express your political slogans and favorite pictures on t-shirts, walls etc. So bring your pictures you want to use, good slogans and if you have papers, colours and thin cutters.

In the evening movies and documentaries were aired:

Habitual Sadness 2 (Naj-eun mogsoli 2 )

( Follow-up to "The Murmuring" )

1997

The story of the women at the "House of Sharing" continues. The old women who share a common bond lead a peaceful life in the countryside, raising vegetables, chickens and painting pictures. They are no different from the elderly women we see everyday. But they are all marked by pain and sorrow from their shared history of being comfort women during World War 2. They became subject to prejudice in their own homeland after their return to Korea. It is painful for them to watch other peoples' children and grandchildren, and they feel rage when the Japanese government tries to cover up the crimes they committed against them. The films asks us to remember what these women sacrificed and the shame and misery they faced even as these individuals pass away often forgotten by their own people.

Killing us softly

Jean Kilbourne's pioneering work helped develop and popularize the study of gender representation in advertising. Her award-winning Killing us Softly films have influenced millions of college and high school students across two generations and on an international scale. In this important new film, Kilbourne reviews if and how the image of women in advertising has changed over the last 20 years. With wit and warmth, Kilbourne uses over 160 ads and TV commercials to critique advertising's image of women. By fostering creative and productive dialogue, she invites viewers to look at familiar images in a new way, that moves and empowers them to take action.

THE MAGDALENE SISTERS, 2002

A thoroughly mind provoking film about 3 young women whom, under tragic circumstances see themselves cast away to a 19th-Century Magdalene Laundry home for supposedly 'fallen' women. Here, the women endure agonizing punishment and a long, harsh working system which leaves them physically drained and mentally challenged. As the girls bond together, it soon becomes clear that the only way out of the Magdalene convent is to escape, but with twisted Sister Bridget running the wing, any chances seem limited...

The day was closed with a vegan dinner.

Saturday the festival started at 13.30 with

-Self-defence open ended workshop-

Feminism - not just for women –

Discussion on the way patriarchal system is affecting men as well. Why are some men perceiving "feminism" as a struggle only for women ? And how can we overcome some preconceived ideas about this "separatism".

- Color hair-

D.I.Y workshop about how can you paint and cut your hair

- D.I.Y. – Computer Security workshop-

Let's discuss why computer-security is also for you important. Let's find out how it works on different computer system software (windows, linux, mac) to mail encrypted with gpg or pgp and how to make secure partitions on your hardware.

- Drag Workshop/drag-„

dressed as guy" or „dressed as girl" describes the performance of a gender which is not your biological one. After a short introduction about the history and idea of drag shows, drag kings and queens as a part of transgender practices and some basic skills like faking beards, breasts or penises, there was time for experiences.

Also in the evening the movie But I'm a cheerleader was shown - Megan is an all-American girl. She's a cheerleader, she has a boyfriend, etc. But she doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. And she only has pictures of girls up in her locker. Her parents and friends conclude that she *must* be gay and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, full of admittedly homosexual misfits, where she can learn to how to be straight.

The night ended with a vegan dinner, that was followed by a good-bye party that we hope left behind some good times and memories. In my opinion, the most important element was the the feeling of friendship that the participants had. Some of them pointed out the fact that people could communicate and express their ideas freely and with no holding back, in a way that contravened all the prejudice and clichés in the actual society. The first thing is that the festival was anarcho-feminist and which the number of male participants, a large number, has to be mentioned in this article without a doubt in mind. The male participants got involved actively and were from all over, including outside the Romanian borders. The patriarchal ideal and sexism that it generates can easily be removed because they are absolutely outrageous and they do nothing but to destroy inter human relationships. The third edition of the LoveKills festival demonstrated again how the feminist practice could create anarchy.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-COLUMBIA:
DEATH THREATS AGAINST COLOMBIAN UNIONISTS:

For decades now trade unionists in the unfortunate country of Colombia have struggled to organize in the face of right wing paramilitary attacks, including over a thousand murders. This goes on today, and unionists in Colombia need your solidarity in the face of these threats, as this story from the International Trade Union Confederation points out.

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Colombia: Several trade unionists receive death threats
Brussels, 24 September 2008:

The ITUC has condemned in the strongest terms the death threats made against FENSUAGRO General Secretary Eberto Díaz and calls upon Colombian President Álvaro Uribe (ES) to take all necessary steps to protect Mr Díaz from any attempt on his life.



On 18 September 2008, FENSUAGRO received a message purportedly from the paramilitary organisation Amigos de Álvaro Uribe en Colombia (AUC). The message listed several social and trade union organisations – including FENSUAGRO – as targets along with two national FENSUAGRO leaders, General Secretary Eberto Díaz and Secretary Juan Efraín Mendoza. Direct threats were also made against the family of Eberto Díaz in Colombia while he himself was in Europe. Over 1,000 members of FENSUAGRO have been murdered since the association was founded 32 years ago, 12 of them during 2008 alone.



Regrettably, Eberto Díaz is not the only figure to have received death threats in Colombia over the past few days. On 16 September, both the Asamblea Permanente de la Sociedad Civil por la Paz and the Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas received a death threat against leaders of the trade union movement and the Polo Democrático Alternativo (PDA) signed by, among others, a paramilitary group calling themselves Comando Carlos Castaño Vive. The message listed CUT General Secretary Domingo Tovar Arrieta, USO National Board member Rodolfo Vecino, former USO President Hernando Hernández, Polo Democrático National Executive Committee members Nelson Berrio and Rafael Cabarcas, and youth leader Lenin Fernández.



We, the trade union movement, as represented by the ITUC, national, regional and international organisations, and not least our affiliates in Colombia itself are extremely concerned by these deplorable developments. “The Colombian government has a duty to protect social players in Colombia, in particular trade unionists,” said Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the ITUC. “Colombia must respect the trade union rights enshrined in ILO Core Conventions,” he added.
Please read the letter sent to President Uribe (ES).

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The above article was pointed out by the British online solidarity site Labour Start. This site also has a reference to another British site, the Justice for Colombia group who published more on this latest round of threats. See the article below. For information from Canadians working in solidarity with Colombian unions and human rights groups see the Canada-Colombia Project. Americans might want to see the Columbia Action Network.

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Posted by Justice for Colombia Date 1 October 2008
HIGH PRIORITY URGENT ACTION – Lives in Grave Danger:

A series of incidents involving leaders of the Colombian agricultural workers' trade union FENSUAGRO, as well as their children, indicate that assassination attempts against them are imminent. The two individuals believed to be at most risk – Aidee Moreno and Eberto Diaz – have both visited the UK to speak at union conferences and other events. Justice for Colombia urges all supporters to take action.
Summary
Harassment of leading members of FENSUAGRO and their families have increased dramatically in recent weeks. These include suspicious men following them, strangers coming up to union officials in the street and insulting them, harassment of the children of union President Eberto Diaz, including one of his sons being threatened by a man with a gun who asked about his father. E-mail death threats have also arrived at the FENSUAGRO offices stating that several individuals will shortly be killed. The union has requested protection from the Colombian authorities but this has been denied. Detailed information is below, but please take the following action as soon as possible:
What you can do
Send a message similar to this one to the Colombian Ambassador in London (by e-mail on N.Sanin@colombianembassy.co.uk and A.Garcia@colombianembassy.co.uk or by post to Colombian Embassy, 3 Hans Crescent, London, SW1X 0LN):
++++++++++
Dear Ambassador,
I am writing to express my extreme concern for the safety of senior members of the Colombian agricultural workers' trade union FENSUAGRO and their families. Already this year seven members of FENSUAGRO have been assassinated, and recent events appear to indicate that further assassinations are imminent.


I refer to the following incidents:



September 10th: Two strange men follow Aidee Moreno, national secretary for human rights at FENSUAGRO, as she leaves the headquarters of the union.



September 12th: A man with a gun grabs 14-year-old Eberto Enrique Diaz, the son of FENSUAGRO President Eberto Diaz Montes, as he is walking home from school. The man attempted to force the boy to open the door of the family home and says various threatening things to him about his father and mother.



September 16th: At approximately 6pm a man approaches the secretary who works for FENSUAGRO as she is walking through central Bogota. In a threatening way the man accuses her of being a guerrilla.



September 18th: Unidentified men in a black jeep wait outside of the school that two of the children of union President Eberto Diaz Montes attend. As they walk home with their mother, the jeep pulls up next to them and those inside throw water over them and call them "sons of bitches guerrillas".



September 18th: Two paramilitary death threats arrive by e-mail at the FENSUAGRO headquarters warning that leaders of the union will shortly be killed.



September 24th: At 12.18 as Aidee Moreno arrives at the FENSUAGRO headquarters she notices two men starring intently at her. As she passes, one man says to the other "That is her".
September 26th: Several suspicious men are seen loitering outside the union's headquarters in central Bogota. They seem particularly interested in Aidee Moreno.



As you will know, assassinations of union leaders in Colombia are regularly preceded by activities such as those outlined above. I understand that FENSUAGRO has already contacted the Colombian Ministry of Interior requesting protection for those at risk but that this protection has been denied.



I insist that your Government reconsiders its position and that action is immediately taken to safeguard the lives of those union leaders and activists that are in danger. Your Government will appear complicit in any further attacks should the authorities continue to ignore requests for protection.



I am deeply worried that killings of trade unionists in Colombia this year have already surpassed the total number killed last year – an increase that contradicts the claims made by your Government that the situation is improving. Please make it clear to your colleagues in Bogota that the international community will not remain silent whilst the Colombian trade union movement is exterminated.



I look forward to your reply.



Yours sincerely,
++++++++++
Send a letter, a draft is below, to your Member of Parliament (to find out who your MP is click here, all MPs can be written to at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA):


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Dear Member of Parliament,
I am writing to request that you make urgent representations to the Colombian Ambassador in London regarding the safety of members of the Colombian agricultural workers' trade union FENSUAGRO.
Several incidents in recent weeks – including harassment by suspicious men and death threats – indicate that an attack against senior members of the union is imminent. Seven members of the union have already been assassinated in Colombia so far this year and it is urgent that the international community speaks out if we are to put an end to the killings.
Furthermore, I am deeply concerned by reports that the Colombian authorities have denied a request made by the union to provide their leaders with protection. Without any protection these brave men and women are left at the mercy of anti-trade union death squads that operate in collusion with the Colombian security forces.
I hope that your intervention may encourage the Colombian authorities to take action to protect the lives of FENSUAGRO's leaders, activists and members and their families.
Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter.
Yours sincerely,
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***Please send copies of your messages, and any replies received, to the Justice for Colombia office on info@justiceforcolombia.org or to JFC, 9 Arkwright Road, London NW3 6AB
Background
So far this year seven members of the Colombian agricultural workers trade union FENSUAGRO have been assassinated:
*Israel Gonzalez, a regional leader of the union, killed January 24th in the town of San Antonio, Tolima department.
*Manuel Antonio Jimenez, a union activist, killed March 15th in the town of Puerto Asis, Putumayo department.
*Jose Fernando Quiroz, a union activist, killed March 15th in the town of Puerto Asis, Putumayo department.
*Tomas Alberto Chiquillo Pascuales, a regional leader of the union, killed May 10th in the town of San Angel, Magdalena department.
*Luis Orlando Gelves, a union activist, killed May 11th in the town of Nuevo Oriente, Arauca department.
*Luis Mayusa Prada, a union activist, killed on August 8th in the town of Saravena, Arauca department.
*Manuel Erminson Gamboa Melendez, a regional leader of the union, killed on August 13th in the town of Puerto Asis, Putumayo department.



Most of these assassinations were preceded by the victims receiving threats, being followed by unknown individuals or other forms of harassment. Recent events in the Colombian capital Bogota indicate that further assassinations, this time aimed at the national leadership of the union, are imminent.



Furthermore, the children of the President of the union have been targeted. This is deeply worrying given that in February this year FENSUAGRO and various other trade unions and human rights organisations received a death threat that included the following paragraph:
"We will finish you off through your families, your children and loved ones will give their lives because of your filthy acts, cowards who don't show their faces and for that reason your families will pay dearly for your errors."



The recent upsurge in threatening activity began on September 10th when two suspicious men followed Aidee Moreno as she left the union's headquarters in central Bogota. Ms Moreno is the national secretary for human rights at FENSUAGRO.



This was followed, two days later, by an incident involving 14-year-old Eberto Enrique Diaz, the son of FENSUAGRO President Eberto Diaz Montes, who was walking home from school in the Fontibon neighbourhood of Bogota where the family live. A block from his house a man grabbed him by the arm, threatened him with a gun and said "walk quickly, don't shout". Upon arriving at the family home the boy tried to walk past but the man said "this is your house, open the door". The boy responded that he was no longer living there, that he did not have keys and that he was now living with a friend elsewhere. The man said "I know you live here, open the door", and the boy responded that he did not have any keys. The man then asked the boy where his mother was and said several things about his father and his father's security and mentioned two other names, which the boy, because of the trauma he suffered, cannot remember. At this point a neighbour came out and spoke to the boy and the man left.



Four days later, on September 16th, a secretary working at FENSUAGRO was walking in the centre of Bogota (Carrera 9 y 10, Calle 17) at around 6pm when a man came up to her and said, "Such a great looking girl, what a shame that the bitch is a guerrilla". He then walked off.



This was followed by an incident on September 18th involving the two youngest children of union President Eberto Diaz. The two youngsters were collected at school by their mother who noticed a black jeep with some men sitting in it parked in front of the school. Shortly after they had left the school the jeep intercepted them and those inside threw water over them and yelled "guerrilla sons of bitches".



The same day an e-mail arrived at the FENSUAGRO headquarters from amigosdeuribeporcolombia@yahoo.com.co – the first part of which translates into English as 'Friends of Uribe for Colombia'. The subject of the message was "warning sons of bitches". Some hours later a second e-mail arrived from the same address a translation of which, including some explanatory notes in bold, follows:
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From: amigosdeuribeporcolombia@yahoo.com.co
Subject: warning sons of bitches
To: fensuagropresidencia@yahoo.es [the e-mail address of the FENSUAGRO President], fcspp@etb.net.co [the e-mail address of the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, a well-known human rights NGO], aliriouribe@hotmail.com [the e-mail address of a well-known Colombian human rights lawyer], anthocbogota@gmail.com [the e-mail address of the Colombian trade union representing health workers, ANTHOC]
Date: Thursday, 18 September, 2008 3:22
All of those organisations that claim to be leaders are no more than a cover up of the far left to support the FARC guerrillas. We know that to finish the guerrillas we need to exterminate you guerrilla sympathisers.
Today our president is risking himself for this beautiful country in the US. Meanwhile you want to criticise him everywhere. Being the first president who has defeated the guerrillas militarily and who is restoring peace and tranquillity for millions of Colombians, we support him and we will always support him.
We have information about organisations that are guerrilla sympathisers, such as committees of political prisoners, lawyers collectives - Andas, Anthoc, Minga, Reiniciar, Fenacoa, cut, Fensuagro [these are human rights groups and trade unions] and many others that are already on our list and have been declared our military targets.
Here it is not important who executes the orders, what is important is to debilitate the guerrilla, exterminating its people – Guillermo Rivera, Israel Gonzales, Milton Mora, [all victims of recent assassinations] these guerrillas are on the new list which has already been put into action. Other lists that have been put into action include Angel Salas, Juan Mendoza, Miguel Bobadilla, Eberto Diaz, Luis Sandoval, Omar Hernandez, Viviana ortiz, Albeiro Betancourt, Gilberto Martinez, Alvaro Londono, and Yesid Camacho [those named are all human rights defenders or trade union leaders from a variety of sectors]. Those people who believe we have forgotten them are very much mistaken, since we have obtained information from reliable sources.
We are very close to you. Much closer than you imagine and when you least expect it, we will get you. Look after yourselves sons of bitches and count yourselves as dead.
A U C
Friends of Uribe for Colombia"
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Following the death threats the union reports that, beginning September 21st, strange men have been seen hanging around and watching the FENSUAGRO headquarters. Just after midday on September 24th, as human rights secretary Aidee Moreno was arriving at the office, one of these unknown men was overheard telling another "That is her".



FENSUAGRO has just reported: "We have made several requests to the Ministry of the Interior and Justice for protection of the members of the National Executive Committee of our federation without having received any positive response."
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And also for another Canadian angle on Colombia see the following from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) , on the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
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Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: another Conservative blunder:
September 25, 2008 08:20 AM
OTTAWA – With a national election fast approaching, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is reminding the public of the dangers of the Conservative’s proposed free-trade agreement with Colombia.


Yesterday, during a session of its quarterly National Executive Board meeting, the union adopted a resolution opposing the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement. Widely opposed by Colombian civil society, Canadian unions and even the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade, this agreement “is tantamount to a death sentence for all who oppose the policies of the current Colombian government,” said Paul Moist, CUPE National President.


Add this agreement to the list of disastrous international policy decisions made by the Harper government. Finalized in secret last June, 2008, the agreement solidifies ties with the government of President Alvaro Uribe. His government is renowned for giving free rein to paramilitary groups terrorizing and assassinating large numbers of Aboriginal people, Afro-Colombians and union members.


An estimated 5 million Colombians, many of them women and children, have been forcibly displaced through land seizures benefiting corporate interests. “Free trade with Colombia will add fuel to the fire, as it indicates to multinationals that the brutal dispossession of Colombians will continue. The agreement also constitutes a thumbs-up from Harper to Uribe, whose atrocious human rights record is not improving. Colombia is the most dangerous place on earth for trade unionists: 41 have already been assassinated in 2008, and no fewer than 2,500 since 1986,” noted Paul Moist.


“The fact that Stephen Harper wants to be a close ally of the most repressive government in the Americas says a lot about his vision of foreign affairs. This agreement would be another nail in the coffin of the communities under persecution, not to mention Canada’s reputation. The best way for Canadians to remedy the situation would be to defeat the Harper Conservatives on October 14,” concluded Paul Moist, who represented CUPE on an observation mission to Colombia in July.
____________
See also CUPE’s international solidarity work in Colombia
Information:
Sébastien Goulet, CUPE Communications – 613 808-0675
Paul Moist, CUPE National President – (613) 558-2873

CONSUMER PROTECTION/CANADIAN POLITICS/CANADIAN LABOUR:

FOOD SAFETY AS AN ELECTION ISSUE:

The following appeal comes via the Straight Goods online newsmagazine, and its original source is the Public Service Alliance of Canada which represents federal meat inspectors. It asks you to help make the safety of Canada's food supply an election issue by querying your candidates on their commitment to such.

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Take action to protect food safety:‏
It’s a sad day when we can’t trust that the food we eat is safe. One thing is clear from the wave of food poisoning deaths and illness that is sweeping the country: cuts to food safety programs and industry self-policing have gone too far.

That’s why I’m writing, with the support of the union representing Canada's food inspectors, to urge you to visit www.foodsafetyfirst.ca where you can send a message to the candidates in your riding asking them to make a commitment for safer food.

Decisions by the Harper government created this mess. Let’s tell our local candidates that the price of our support is their commitment to making the food we eat safer. With only one week before election day, it’s urgent that you act. Please visit http://www.foodsafetyfirst.ca/ right now.

Yours sincerely,

Ish Theilheimer

Publisher

The StraightGoods.ca family of news websites

p.s. http://www.foodsafetyfirst.ca/ is sponsored by the Agriculture Union - PSAC, which represents Canada’s food inspectors.

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And, to whet your appetite about how the scandalous actions of our Conservative government led to the Listeriosis outbreak, here's one of many items from the FoodSafetyFirst site, an article from the Toronto Star of October 6.

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Listeria reporting rule dropped before crisis:
Meat plants not required to tell food inspectors when bacteria found

October 6, 2008
Robert Cribb

STAFF REPORTER
Four months before the Maple Leaf outbreak started claiming lives, Canada's food safety agency quietly dropped its rule requiring meat-processing companies to alert the agency about listeria-tainted meat, a Toronto Star/CBC investigation has found.

Twenty people died as a result of the outbreak this past summer, and federal meat inspectors and their union say this rule change likely made the country's listeria outbreak far worse than it had to be.

Before April 1, if a company preparing meat for sale to the public had a positive test showing listeria it "would have had to have been, not only brought to the (federal) inspector's attention, but the inspector would have been involved in overseeing the cleanup," says Bob Kingston, head of the union that represents Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors.

Kingston and four veteran inspectors interviewed for this story fear the change, part of the deregulation of Canada's food safety net, continues to pose a public health threat.

The inspection agency confirmed to the Star/CBC that there is currently no onus on companies to alert inspectors about positive bacterial results. The change came as part of a federal decision to allow companies to write their own food safety plans, with federal approval.

"If I walk in as an inspector, the plant doesn't come up to me and say we had positive tests today," said Tom Graham, the safety agency's national inspection manager. But he says the rule likely will be reinstated as a result of the federal investigation into the outbreak.

"That will happen. It's definitely ... on the table. There are a number of recommendations that will come from this," Graham said.

Neither Maple Leaf nor the safety agency will release to the public the specifics of the listeria outbreak at the plant, located on Bartor Rd. near Sheppard Ave. W. and Highway 400, so it is not possible to determine how the reporting rule would have affected the case.

The first of the 20 deaths attributable to the listeriosis outbreak happened in July, officials have said.

One Toronto inspector said there had been a "trend" in positive listeria tests leading up to the outbreak that was never reported by the plant to federal inspectors. The inspector, and three others across the country, spoke on condition of anonymity because they fear disciplinary action if they spoke publicly. "There's something wrong, that an inspector isn't aware of a trend in their own plant," the inspector said.

Inspectors and their union say the rule changes, part of the new Compliance Verification System at the safety agency, have reduced their role to paper auditors, checking the results of company tests when they visit the plant. Under current rules, the inspectors only review bacterial test results twice a month.

Maple Leaf spokesperson Linda Smith said her company makes all of its paperwork and testing available to inspectors but doesn't alert them to positive test results.

"As per the regulations, there is no requirement to inform the CFIA about any listeria test result," she said. "The protocol Maple Leaf had in place was if they found a positive, they would sanitize the area and then you'd need to find three negatives in a row to leave that area alone. In (the Maple Leaf plant from which the outbreak was traced), there were occasional positives. ... They would sanitize and test three subsequent times and in all of those cases, they did not find another positive in that area."

During the outbreak, Maple Leaf president Michael McCain said the company tests the Toronto plant's surfaces 3,000 times a year.

"Positive results for listeria inside a food plant are common," he told reporters at the time, adding that "there was nothing out of the norm" leading up to the outbreak.

Asked for the listeria test results leading up to the outbreak, Smith said last week the company would not release them publicly.

At the union representing federal inspectors, national president Kingston said he has been pushing to have the reporting rule reinstated for the past month.

If inspectors had known about the positive listeria tests, "the CFIA would have been doing their own testing to validate the success of the cleanup," Kingston said, adding after April 1, no rules required inspectors be told of any cleanup activities or repeated positives.

A Toronto-area inspector said that if Maple Leaf had been required to report the listeria test results, alarms would have gone off at the federal food safety agency.

"Bells and whistles would have been sounding if (Maple Leaf officials) had to report positive test findings to an inspector."

"We're seeing (20) people dead. We might not have had anybody dead (if company officials were still obligated to report positive listeria findings). ... It's terrible. My dad eats this stuff all the time. I eat it," the inspector said.

A veteran inspector in the Vancouver area said the safety agency needs to go back to being more hands-on in plants. "(The new system) isn't working. Let's go back to basics, get the inspector back in the plant, spending more time there."

Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto's associate medical officer of health, said the reporting change is "absolutely a concern. This may be a perfect example of how self-regulation may not be appropriate."

In the aftermath of the outbreak, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz publicly defended the new inspection regime, saying about 50 per cent of an inspector's time is on the floor of plants and "the other 50 per cent is overseeing paperwork, most of it scientific in nature, test results and the like."

Not so, say inspectors, estimating their time on plant floors is down to between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of their day. "We shouldn't be called inspectors anymore," says one inspector in Vancouver. "We should be called auditors. I think the public wants inspectors on the floor, sleeves rolled up."

Another Toronto inspector says she and her colleagues used to be aware of everything happening in a plant. "Things have changed now. We're more the oversight and they run their own show. The problem ... is, it can all look good on paper, but you've got to be out there to see what's going on."

One inspector was startled to find no reference to mandatory reporting in the safety plans of plants he inspects. "There's nowhere in (the new system) that tells them they have to inform you of a high bacterial load."

That lost oversight, he says, had to play a role in the outbreak.

"I think it would have prevented a preventable situation like the listeria (outbreak). It has alarmed me and it's disappointing. It's a travesty for the department and a shakeup the CFIA needs to get grassroots feedback about what works and what doesn't. (This) isn't working."
But the agency's Graham said the system still protects the public.

"Are we missing things? It's unfortunate what's happened here with the outbreak. There's no doubt about that. None of us are happy about that. But is our system a good system? Yes, it is."
Toronto Star

MOUVEMENT ANARCHISTE DU CANADA/CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-MONTRÉAL:
LES ACTIVITÉS DE PERSONNE N'EST PAS ILLÉGAL/ACTIVITIES OF NO ONE IS ILLEGAL:
Aucune zone dans le continent nord-américain est plus active, en termes de l'anarchisme, comme la province de Québec, et un des plus actifs de ces groupes, il ya le No One is Illegal-Montréal / Personne n'est illégal-Montréal. Voici quelques points saillants récents de leur blog.

No area in the North American ccontinent is more active, in terms of anarchism, as the province of Québec, and one of the most active of the groups is No One is Illegal-Montréal/Personne n'est illegal-Montréal. Here are some recent highlights from their blog.
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Tout d'abord, une prochaine manifestation (voir ci-dessus)./First of all an upcoming demonstration (see above)

FREDDY VILLANUEVA:PLUS JAMAIS/FREDDY VILLANUEVA:NEVER AGAIN:

Manifestation:

Samedi le 11 octobre 14hr

Parc Pilon

Henri Bourassa & Pie IX

"Police partout,justice nulle part!"

Demonstration:

Saturday October 11, 2pm

Parc Pilon

Henri Bourassa & Pie IX

"Police Everywhere, Justice nowwhere"

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Revendications de la manif du 11 octobre à Montréal-Nord/Demands of the October 11 Demonstration in Montréal-Nord:

Enquête pulique!/Public Inquiry !

Fin de profilage raciale!/End racial profiling !

Tant qu'il y a des inégalités économiques, il y aura l'insecutité sociale!/As long as there is economic inequality there will be social unrest!

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Et aussi, saillants récents de leur blog, couroisie d'une communiqué d'email./And also recent highlights from their blog, courtesy of an email communique.

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Recent highlights / Quelques contributions (No One Is Illegal blog/blogue Personne n'est illegal-MONTREAL)‏
[Please post and forward; SVP diffuser largement]

Included below are some recent postings on the No One Is Illegal-Montreal website: http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/

Voici quelques contributions récentes sur le site web de Personne n'est illégal-Montréal: http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/

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*Film: Raphael et Sasha (5 octobre, Parc Extension)*

*"Un film réalisé entièrement par des jeunes, juste ici, dans Parc-Extension"; a message from Faiz Abhuani de la campagne Accommode donc ça! / "A film made entirely by youth, right here in Parc Extension"; a message from Faiz Abhuani of the Accommodate This! Campaign.

* Read more/Lire plus:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/10/film-raphael-et-sasha.html

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*Radio Personne n'est illégal: Montréal Nord Républik*

*Une heure spéciale sur la réponse populaire au meurtre de Freddy Villanueva par la police à Montréal-Nord. En studio, nos invitées: Rony Bastien,Guillaume Hébert et Nargess Mustapha de Montreal-Nord Républik. Aussi, des extraits d'une manifestation organisée par Montréal-Nord Républik enregistrés dans la salle du conseil d'arrondissement de Montréal-Nord et en dehors.

* Écouter l'émission:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/radio-personne-nest-illegal-septembre.html

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*Trapped Between Theocracy and Imperialism: The Reality of Iran*

*"As an "Iranian" forced to leave Iran by a brutal regime, who is very conscious of past and present imperialist and colonial realities, I see no choice but to expose and resist with equal urgency the Iranian regime and US-led imperialism." – Poya Saffari*

Read more:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/10/reality-of-iran.html

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*Radio-Canada: Macadam Tribus: La murale comme outil politique*

*"Je pense que les murales sont un témoignage visuel de ce qui marque un peuple, et de ce qui définit un moment. Elles forment aussi un excellent outil d'éducation et de mobilisation autour d'enjeux qui affectent des communautés, particulièrement lorsqu'elles sont entreprises collectivement."-- Sarita Ahooja*

Lire plus, voir la murale, et écouter l'entrevue:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/macadams-tribus-la-murale-comme-outil.html

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*virtual diasporas: fire, fences and flight*

*"Virtual Diasporas" are short experimental films by Ayesha Hameed, local artist, filmmaker and member of No One Is Illegal-Montreal. fire, fences and flight considers the relationship between migration, flight and borders.

*Read more and see the film:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/fire-fences-and-flight.html

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*La Justice et Jean-Pierre Lizotte: poète de la Prison de Bordeaux*

*"Jean-Pierre Lizotte vient d'une réalité difficile, qui remonte à sonenfance et qu'il décrit avec candeur dans ses poèmes et ses autres écrits.Tard dans la nuit du 5 septembre 1999, sur un tronçon huppé et branché du Boulevard St-Laurent, la réalité de Jean-Pierre Lizotte s'est heurtée à celle, contrastante, de la clientèle des restaurants, des portiers et desagents de police." – Jaggi Singh*

Lire plus:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/la-justice-et-jean-pierre-lizotte.html

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*Video: Resisting Apartheid: From Bil'in (Palestine) to Highway 30(Kahnawake)*

*An address by Sarita Ahooja, a member of No One Is Illegal-Montreal, at the recent Artists Against Apartheid event at Sala Rossa (September 7, 2008)organized by Tadamon.

* View the video:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/resisting-apartheid-from-bilin.html

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*CN: Drop your racist lawsuit!*

*Defend Shawn Brant and the Mohawks of Tyendinaga*

Read more:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/supporttyendinaga.html

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*CN: Lâche ton procès raciste!*

*Défendons Shawn Brant et les Mohawks de Tyendinaga*

Lire plus:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/souteneztyendinaga.html

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*Update: Crown buys Fantino's Silence with Brant's Freedom* *Statement from the Tyendinaga Support Committee in Toronto.

* Read more:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/10/crown-buys-fantinos-silence-with-brants.html

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*The El Salon Police Riot (2006)*

*Why did 50 cops shut down a political-cultural event in support of Palestinian political prisoners?

* Read more:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/10/el-salon-police-riot-2006.html

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*L'émeute des policiers à El Salon (2006)* *Pourquoi 50 policiers ont fermé un événement politique-culturel en soutienaux enfants prisonniers Palestiniens?

* Lire plus:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/10/lemeute-des-policiers-de-el-salon-2006.html

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*Montreal Gazette: Justice and Jean-Pierre Lizotte: The Poet of Bordeaux Prison*

*"But, what if there was a video of what happened outside the Shed Café in1999 instead of the imperfect and contradictory memories of eyewitnesses at 2:30 in the morning? What if Jean-Pierre Lizotte was present in the courtroom, in a wheelchair and paralyzed, in front of the jury's own eyes?"

* Read more:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/09/justice-and-jean-pierre-lizotte.html*

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*No One Is Illegal Radio (August 2008)*

*Fortress Europe at Ceuta (Spain);

*interview with David Moffette of No OneIs Illegal-Quebec City & ICE Raid in Postville, Iowa; interview with members of the Wild Rose Rebellion Anarchist Network

* Listen to the show:

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/08/no-one-is-illegal-radio-august-2008.html

---

To subscribe to the announcements list (3-4 messages a week)/Pour s'abonnersur la liste des annonces (3-4 messages par semaine):

https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/nooneisillegal-l

Contact:

nooneisillegal@gmail.com

http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:
WORLD DAY FOR DECENT WORK-TOMORROW:

A worldwide coalition of trade unions and other organizations have come together to declare tomorrow, October 7, the World Day for Decent Work. See their website for further details. Here's the general statement of what the day will be about from the organizers.

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WORLD DAY FOR DECENT WORK:

About the day:
As every person should be able to have a job that enables them to live a good life in which their basic needs are met, decent work is the focus for World day for decent Work (WDDW). This is an opportunity for trade unions and organisations to join a broad global mobilisation involving a large number of people and a wide range of activities. The activities can be connected with three major themes: Rights at work, a theme dealing with the rights of working women and men; Solidarity, a theme focused on practical action involving cooperation between affiliates on a bilateral or multilateral basis; and Ending Poverty and Inequality, a theme emanating from the new globalisation.




You don’t necessarily have to invent a new campaign for October 7. Maybe you can highlight some of the work that is already being done in your organisation? All countries have issues with decent work ― maybe it’s more obvious if you are working in a developing country than in an industrialised one. Decent work issues can include migration; discrimination; equality; forced labour; human trafficking; child labour; and other core labour standards such as right to bargain collectively and the freedom to organise; freedom of expression; laws and agreements issues; informal economy; climate issues (green jobs); health and safety; social protection; poverty and food crisis; social dialogue… well the list can be even longer. Many of these issues are dealt with on a daily basis in many trade unions and organisations. Once you have decided on your actions, please tell us by reporting them on this web site.(SEE WORLD DAY FOR DECENT WORK AT http://wddw.org/ -MOLLY).

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A number of organizations have events planned for tomorrow. Here's an announcement from the IUF, often quoted on this site. Make sure to check out their new "watch sites" on the Nestlé and Unilever corporations.
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IUF Challenges Job Destruction at Nestlé, Unilever on World Day for Decent Work:

Share this article.

The IUF is targeting the systematic, programmed destruction of permanent work at two major food TNCs - Nestlé (the world's largest food company) and Unilever (number 3) - as unions worldwide highlight the menacing spread of precarious work on October 7 - World Day for Decent Work.



Casual, insecure, subcontracted jobs are not an accidental byproduct of the constant redefinition of "core" business, or the search for "flexibility". The destruction of permanent work has become a major pillar of corporate human resources strategy, implemented to fund record dividends and share buybacks in the name of "shareholder value". Alongside their brands, the companies are manufacturing insecurity. Precarious jobs are corporate policy for shrinking and ultimately extinguishing the number of workers who retain a direct employment relationship with the corporations whose products they manufacture - and with whom they can negotiate their terms and conditions of employment. Precarious work is union busting.



Nestlé and Unilever have been brutally and systematically eliminating permanent work while touting the virtues of job creation and "corporate social responsibility." Behind their famous "billion dollar brands" the former Nestlé or Unilever worker has been increasingly replaced by an abusive system of outsourcing, casualization, "temporary" hiring and "co-packing" which is steadily eliminating the use of permanent employment contracts.



To highlight the leading role of these two food giants in destroying decent work the IUF is launching two new websites.



Nestlewatch and Unileverwatch are interactive sites with translation toolbars for multi-language use. We've launched them to challenge these companies' systematic cultivation of insecure, precarious work, to put a corporate face on the process of job destruction, and to assist in fighting back.
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Here's another item from the Uniglobal Union site, the people who brought you last year's "virtual strike" against IBM. This is for everyone anywhere it will held on 'Second Life'. It is a bit late for the introductory sessions, but you may still be able to sneak in at the last moment via their site.
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Looking for helpers for October 7th, World Day for Decent Work‏:
UNI, together with the international labour movement are running an Action Day for Decent Work on October 7th. Half of the world’s 2.8 billion workers live on less than 2 USD a day. People should have the right to bargain for wages and working conditions!


We will be wearing sandwich banners on our avatars and passing on notecards in Second Life on October 7th.


Could you help join us and spread the word?


Meet us in SL, on Union Island, October 1st from 10 AM to 12 AM SLT – SL Time (6-7 PM London UK time)or October 2nd from 5 AM to 7 AM SLT (1-3 PM London UK time)
…so we can give you the equipment!
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And join us then, October 7th from 6 AM to 8 AM SLT (2-4 PM London UK time)to meet on Union Island and then head off to distribute note cards everywhere!
More information?
Contact “UNIglobalunion Oh” in SL or check
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/wddw
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And don't forget to check in on the main website of the World Day for Decent Work for a complete listing of the dozens and dozens of events that will be held worldwide tomorrow.

CANADIAN POLITICS:

HARPER POLICIES PREPARED GROUND FOR LISTERIOSIS OUTBREAK:

The following article from the Harper Index details how previous policies prepared the ground for the recent outbreak of food born listeriosis that has killed about 20 people in Canada so far. Meanwhile the Minister in Charge, Gerry Ritz, has been banished to "the cone of silence" as Sneaky Stevie ensures that he makes no more funnies about death and cold cuts. Where are you Gerry ?

Molly has to point out that she disagrees with the opinion of the author that government is "a force for the common good", and she also has to point out that Harper and his crew are hardly consistent in their opposition to government. In terms of such things as the military, prisons and corporate handouts the bigger the better according to the Book of Sneaky Stevie. That being said I would hardly say that the actual useful functions that government performs can be eliminated until we have better, more libertarian, organizations to take over such functions. Self-regulation (sic) by the corporations is no such better system.

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Poison food crisis shows Harper’s contempt for government:
How many more people must die before the Harper government realizes that public health and safety must always transcend the boundaries of ideology?

by James Clancy, National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)

Each passing week since the deadly outbreak of listeriosis at a Maple Leaf Foods Inc. plant in Toronto brings more evidence of the Harper government's ineptitude in responding to public health emergencies.

The botching of this life-and-death crisis also betrays something deeper and more chilling about the Harper government that should cause everyone to be afraid.

It reflects an ideological hostility to the very idea of using the government as a force for the common good, proving that the consequences of such inaction can indeed be deadly.

Experts say decisive and prompt action is crucial to saving lives during a public health emergency. Yet from the beginning of the listeriosis outbreak a peculiar paralysis took over within the most senior ranks of the Harper government.

The first deaths occurred in June and by mid-August the problem had been traced to the source. By Aug. 17, positive lab tests confirmed that several deaths were directly linked to contaminated meat products made at the Maple Leaf plant.
Politics before people
Yet the Harper administration failed to adequately warn the public about the magnitude of the problem until Aug. 20. Then, instead of announcing new resources and regulations to ensure public safety, we had the spectacle of a series of cabinet ministers issuing blithe quips and limp assurances that everything was under control.

This was followed by Harper himself, fretting about political fallout on the eve of an election, promising an internal 'independent' investigation, a move that amounts to no more than a political gambit to shield the government from allegations of negligence toward public health.

Finally, we learn that at the height of the crisis, during a conference call with scientists, bureaucrats and political staff, the federal agriculture minister trivialized the crisis, and insulted victims, by making insensitive jokes. Yet Gerry Ritz remains a member of the Harper cabinet.

The entire handling of this emergency demonstrates callous incompetence. Worse, it reveals a lethal contempt by Harper for the most basic role of government - ensuring public health and safety. It also reflects a hostility toward government as a constructive force in our society.

Sadly, this comes as no great surprise. Harper has, after all, spent his entire career denigrating government and public services. Why would anyone be shocked now that a government run by him should fail to rise to such an occasion?
Cuts go back to 2006
Since his first days in office in 2006, Harper has steadily cut funding for food safety programs and inspectors, shifting ever greater responsibility to the food companies themselves.

According to current Treasury Board of Canada forecasts, funding for food safety programs will have declined by almost 30% from $359 million in 2006-07 to $254 million in 2010-11 under Harper's watch.

At the same time, a secret government document recently brought to light by a government employee reveals that the government has been planning to let the foxes further guard the henhouse by expanding industry self-policing of food safety.

The listeriosis crisis is reminiscent of the poison water scandal that rocked Walkerton, Ont., in 2000. That disaster was caused in large part by government cutbacks and a deliberate weakening of provincial inspection and safety procedures by the Ontario regime of Conservative Premier Mike Harris.

Harper's cabinet now includes some of the same ministers who were part of the Harris government, ministers who should have learned the obvious lessons of the Walkerton tragedy.

That they did not makes an even more chilling point: the ineptitude now apparent in Ottawa is not merely a failure to learn the lessons of Walkerton. It bespeaks an ideological contempt for anything and everything that government can do to better society.
How many more deaths?
The listeriosis outbreak is an especially deadly lesson in why effective and rigorous government oversight and action offers the best guarantee of public health and safety. But how many more people will die before the Harper government realizes that public health and safety must always transcend political ideology?
Links and sources

National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)

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WHAT IS LISTERIOSIS?:

Like the ongoing scandal surrounding "melamine" in milk containing products imported from China the word "listeriosis" may not be familiar to the average reader. Here's a little Molly guide to the illness.

The genus Listeria (named for Joseph Lister)is a bacterial genus with six species including L. monocytogenes, the cause of listeriosis. L. monocytogenes is a gram positive, motile(under 30 degrees), rod shaped organism commonly found in soil, water, sewage, plants and food. It is a rare cause of food poisoning, but a deadly one as the case fatality rate may each 25%. The bacterium is very hardy in the environment, and is able to grow at temperatures ranging from 4 degrees (your fridge) to 37 degrees (your body).

It wasn't until 1981 that L. monocytogenes was recognized as a cause of food poisoning due to an outbreak in Halifax, Nova Scotia, amongst pregnant women and infants. There were 41 cases and 18 deaths in that incident- due to cabbage in coleslaw that had been contaminated by sheep manure. Most normal adults are resistant to the organism, and up to 10% of people may actually harbour the species in their intestines. Neonates, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems are, however, much more susceptible. Infection during pregnancy may result in spontaneous abortion or in serious neonatal illness. The disease can involve many different body systems, gastrointestinal, respiratory,and nervous system but its deadliest forms involve septicemia and meningoencephalitis.

Many different foods have been implicated in various outbreaks, including milk (especially unpasteurized milk), meats, cheese (especially soft cheeses), raw vegetables and fish. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has produced a 'Meet the Bugs:Food Safety Guide' that gives an extensive listing.

In Canada's recent outbreak the source was the Maple Leaf Foods Bartor Road plant in North York,Toronto, and the main products affected were packaged deli meats. There were about 220 different products affected, and all bear the code "97B" near the best before date. The company instituted a voluntary recall, but products already purchased may be in consumers' freezers and the organism may have a latent period of up to three months. This means that the problem is likely far from over.

The Canadian Medical Association has weighed in with an editorial in the October 7 edition of their journal, placing much of the blame for the outbreak on the policies of the Harper government ie:

*the transfer of inspection duties to employees of the meat industry itself due to a 'Strategic Review' conducted last November. In the case of Maple Leaf this meant that the company only had to test finished product once a month.

*the refusal to modify Canada's standards for Listeria contamination to reflect the tougher standards now in place and accepted by the World Health Organization and the United States. Astoundingly enough the Harper government actually "lobbied to have American standards lowered" as part of trade negotiations.

*elimination of the cabinet post for the Public Health Agency of Canada.

*calling for an incredibly weak and toothless "independent investigation" that "will be inferior to every epidemic inquiry in Canadian history". See the Canadian Medical Association's editorial for the full details of this typical Harperesque card trick.

Meanwhile in Québec a similar but smaller story has been developing around a recall of any and all cheese that may have come in contact with 2 brands found to have been contaminated by Listeria. While, according to yesterday's Globe and Mail ,the Québec government is offering $8.4 million in aid and $11.3 million in loans to the industry the opposition parties claim that this reaction was more one of panic and could have been avoided if the government had implemented a 2005 report calling for improvements in the inspection process. Well, you can't accuse the Québec government of going backwards like the Canadian one has, but they sure haven't been going forward either.

All of this points out some inherent difficulties with a sole dependence on government to protect the consumer. Not that industry is likely to do a bang-up job either, but it is conceivable that organizations independent of both the state and the corporations might do far better. For now there are four seperate class-action lawsuits being filed in Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. All are being handled by the Merchant Law Group.