Showing posts with label Julian Fantino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julian Fantino. Show all posts

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

Is the Harper government funding christian missionaries abroad?

According to this reportage in La Presse, more and more CIDA funds are being directed towards christian groups and projects that have a mandate to proselytize. Few have solid experiences with humanitarian aid projects as well regarded as Kairos; most have no international credibility.
While reducing financial support to many international cooperation agencies, the Harper government is now providing more subsidies to religious NGOs, especially those that have a mission to spread the faith.

This is what emerges from research conducted by François Audet, Director of the Canadian Research Institute on humanitarian crisis and aid; its results should be published this spring in the Canadian Journal of Development Studies.

His team of researchers combed through the tax returns of 198 Canadian NGOs who shared in 2010 a budget of $366 million in funding from CIDA.

Their conclusion: from 2005 to 2010, subsidies to secular NGOs have increased by 5% - from 226 to 237 million. During the same period, the annual budget for religious NGOs increased from 90 to 129 million - an increase of 42%.

The lion's share of this increase went to a dozen NGOs in Western Canada, which received $50 million in 2010, against 29 million five years earlier - an increase of 72%. However, in addition to their humanitarian mission, these NGOs are openly dedicated to evangelization.

Some examples: Africa Community Technical Services received $ 655,000 from CIDA in 2010, almost three times more than in 2005. On its website, the NGO says it carries out its duties "under the authority of the scriptures" and "seeks to glorify our Lord Jesus."

Cause Canada says: "We pray that our identification with Jesus, our concern for justice and our practical demonstration of God's love [...] attract people to Christ," on its website. This Alberta NGO received $ 483,000 from CIDA in 2010, an increase of 32% compared to 2005.
Rough Google translation of Agnès Gruda's text.  Radio-Canada is also reporting on this; CBC will no doubt soon produce a document in English.


Santiago Mariani (right) with a Tanzanian family outside their home

Would receiving humanitarian support and the benefit of clean water, education, health care and other necessities made available through international aid projects be conditional upon conversion to fundamentalist religious christian beliefs?

It seems as though Fantino and his accolytes are enforcing have adopted the hospice model developed by Mother Teresa for the Vatican Taliban - a choice between having your soul "saved" or dying miserably in the streets.

BONUS: Dennis Gruending's post about the Office of *Religious Freedom* in John Baird's Foreign Affairs. Would there possibly be a connection to the CIDA funding?

Update regarding the CPC partisan documents Fantino did ^NOT post on the CIDA government website, at The Sixth Estate

Update: Montreal Simon wrote this in December.

Photograph found here.

Sunday, 1 May 2011

Election Eve Fun with Wiki



For a couple of minutes, that was the opening of the Wiki entry for Julian Fantino.

If you can't read it: ' . . a retired police official, a douchebag who leaked the information about Jack Layton's involvement in a bawdy-house bust, and the elected member of the Parliament of Canada. . .

Alas, someone was quick to fix it.

But, YAY, JJ the Genius found it in the revision history.

(I know. Despite years now of blogging, there is much for TechnDolt to master.)

In related news, the #elxn41 hashtag has been conquered today by humourless, deluded ideologues preaching to their various choirs.

Saturday, 16 April 2011

The New Grassroots

Great article by our pal, Antonia Zebisias, on the new grassroots.
In the olden days, about, oh, three years ago, citizens who engaged in political campaigns had to get off their sofas and into church basements and candidates meetings.

They knocked on doors, dropped off flyers, planted signs.

They put the act in activism, the haul ass in grassroots.

Today, during Canada’s 41st federal election, or #elxn41 as it’s called on Twitter, voters don’t need to shiver in the cold shilling for their candidate. They can commiserate with friends on Facebook, fight the power via Twitter and put their politics on YouTube.

Well-researched as usual, it's great roundup and overview of what people are doing and what the pundits are saying about it.

Among others, AZ mentioned the group close to my heart -- as regular readers will know.
Another CAPP spin-off is Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper (CRUSH), which the Conservatives have described as “a radical anti-Stephen Harper group.” More than 6,500 strong, the registered non-profit has invested thousands of dollars on newspaper ads.

“I have received small amounts of cash in envelopes from very ordinary folks from all corners of the country, usually accompanied with a nice note complementing us on defending our democracy,” says founder Bill Nobels, a retired Ryerson University film and video professor.

Since the election was called the radical gang has come up with another tactic, Adopt-A-Riding.

Individual members identify a riding with a vulnerable Con in it, do some media research, then try to raise dough to buy ads in local papers.

The first one was Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar. Mission accomplished. Ads will appear Monday.

Next was Vaughan and Thornhill, one ad buy, two targetted Cabinet Ministers. A two-fer!

Done. Money raised.

Next up, West Nova.

Brad Bossack, sponsor of this one did the research:
Three newspapers cover the whole riding, the Middleton Spectator, the Digby Courier, and the Yarmouth Vanguard. I've decided that 1/4 page ad in all three would be a fairly easy achievable goal for the cost of 618.91.

That one's in the bag too.

Now, CRUSHers have their eye on: Haldimand-Norfolk currently held by the lovely and talented Minister of Something or Other, Diane Finley, a noted social commentator best known for observations like these:
On employment insurance: “We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it.”

On child care: “The Liberals wanted to ensure that parents are forced to have other people raise their children. We do not believe in that.”

She's married to the lovely and talented Senator Doug Finley, he of In/Out fame.

This is just grand. Ordinary, pissed-off Canadians rising up (couldn't resist) to defend democracy. Our democracy. Not Stevie Peevie's. Ours.

Got a few bucks to spare? Want to defend democracy from the odious Finleys? Donate.

Thursday, 14 April 2011

Targets: Peter Kent and Julian Fantino

Unseat Harper member Pam Allard is focussing on Peter Kent and Julian Fantino in the Adopt-a-Riding initiative.
I am proposing a new adopt-a-riding initiative to cover the ridings of Vaughan and Thornhill in the GTA. In Vaughan, Julian Fantino was elected in last November's by-election by around 1,000 votes. Liberal candidate Mario Ferri has the best chance of defeating Fantino, and in light of this week's news about questionable federal funding for a health centre there, Fantino may be even more vulnerable. Thornhill, which is adjacent to Vaughan, is currently held by Con. Peter Kent and is being challenged by Lib. Karen Mock. Please check out these links for more information about these crucial ridings:

Thornhill

Fantino

Advertising with York Media to cover both ridings would cost us $1443. The ad would run in the Vaughan Citizen, The Thornhill Liberal and in the Markham Economist Sun, reaching over a very large populated area.

If you would like to support this campaign please donate at Unseat Harper and message me that you want your donation to be used towards this ad campaign. It is important that Canadians Defending Democracy have an accurate record of donations to our ads. As this is advocacy, tax receipts cannot be issued and as a third party advertiser donations in excess of $200. aggregate in the 6 months prior to the election must be reported to Elections Canada.

Time is short. So is money, I know. But if you can help, please consider it.

Saturday, 9 April 2011

"We obviously apologize to them."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper with PC candidate Julian Fantino speaking event in one Vaughan residence backyard and home on April 7, 2011.

If any woman feels abused by any of our messages that's there to influence her vote, we obviously apologize to her. Our interest is in grabbing as many female votes as we can.

The above, inspired by Contempt leader Harper's boilerplate fake apology below, is unlikely to be uttered by Stevie Spiteful.
“If anybody is kept out of any of our events that’s there to hear our message, we obviously apologize to them. Our interest is in having as many people out to hear our message as we can.”
From here. On Thursday the Contempt Party's slavering band of hyenas and jackals (aka the ex-PMOpolitburo) lamely attempted to capture the female vote. They took words from former maverick judge John Reilly's, twisted them out of context and armed Rent-a-Thug Fantino with a message crafted to provoke anger.

[...]the Conservative candidate in Vaughan said the incident is proof the Liberals are “soft on crime.” “The trauma that’s inflicted on any victim by any type of crime, it can’t be downgraded,” Fantino said during a campaign event [...] “Sexual offences of any kind are totally and absolutely unacceptable. I don’t know how anybody could have any tolerance whatsoever for any type of crime, let alone these sexual offences,” Fantino said.

As with everything the Con job organizers have done so far in their elxn41 campaign, the explosion it caused was not the one they intended.

Former Toronto Chief of Police Fantino, preaching about trauma inflicted upon female victims of sexual violence? Women remember that under his *leadership* cops deliberately used women as bait to try to catch the Scarborough rapist. It took a very public and acrimonious court case initiated by 'Jane Doe' to ensure that Fantino's officers registered complaints, investigated them competently and processed them in a manner that respected the provisions of the Criminal Code - and the complainants.

Then this piece in the Toronto Sun was planted to reflect badly upon the Lib leader but backfired instead on the Contempt party's spin jackals.
Until she becomes a citizen, [Zsuzzana] Zsohar cannot vote or hold some government jobs. Liberal party spokesman Michel Liboiron said Zsohar is a landed immigrant “but applied for her Canadian citizenship as soon as she was eligible.” She “is waiting in the queue like every other new Canadian for her application to be reviewed,” he said. Zsohar, 64, holds Hungarian and British citizenships.
Even the Con's regular stenographer was revulsed by the raw ReformaTory anti-immigrant bile that spewed forth; Jane Taber produced a sane response to the attack.

The Contempt party keeps dropping the ball as it licks it chops over the MASSIVE demographics of undecided female voters. Its war-room underestimates the collective memories and accumulated anger of women when it deploys a strategy that casts Stevie Peevie as a younger version of a *new & improved* Mike Harris.


BTW, here's the money quote & the real reason Reilly was attacked by Harper's mercenary hyenas (again, from here):

[...]what motivated me to just resign my position and run in this election is that I was disgusted by the Conservative government policies that have all these mandatory minimums. And I see those policies as policies that will incarcerate thousands of people that don't need to be incarcerated, and the cost is billions of dollars. And of course, the other thing that motivated me is that the party was found to be in contempt of parliament because they had these policies and also their F-35 policies that were going to cost the taxpayers of Canada billions of dollars and they were trying to pass that legislation without telling us how much it was going to cost.

The Contempt party tried to manipulate women to demand the withdrawal of Reilly's candidacy. Didn't work, and their mendacious tactic was exposed.


Un grand merci to constant reader/commenter k'in whose links made me look closely at the Reilly brouhaha.

Saturday, 5 March 2011

"I was treated like a 'common' criminal..."


If MP Julian Fantino intended to elicit sympathy from the 'common' folks by whining thus, now there's a MASSIVE fail right there.
"I got the business on a number of issues ... on seniors not having adequate pensions (while) the minister for seniors has multiple pensions,” he says. “What does that have to do with anything?” Fantino asks. “I didn’t rob any banks. I didn’t steal anything.” [...]
“The other thing that grabs me is the immunity from accountability in the House,” he continues. “I’ve been called a few things and they’ve got protection. I’ve always found that kind of strange. It seems people in there can decimate your integrity, trample your good name, call you every awful name, accuse you of the most heinous things — and they do it with a straight face.”
Dey got no respeck for Duh Fantino ...

Really quite amusing, particularly as he's describing the tactics that HarperCons have honed and refined, using them repeatedly against Opposition MPs.

Irony has always been wasted on Fantino. The only thing slicker & thicker than he is - a BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Fantino and Dividing the Right

OK, depending on how one looks at it, it could be called 'far left and far right working together' or 'divide the right', but the Freaks are seriously pissed about Fantino's cabinet job.

Here's my Facebook friend Connie:
I'm willing to strike a deal with the opposition. If they bring down the government, I won't campaign, finance, or vote Conservative.

Here's a like-minded Freak:
I arrived to your same conclusion, a long time ago. I think I would be specially important to target 905 ridings , where the CPC has some red tories in some cases and in others people without spine to stand up to Harper.

I would suggest in those areas in which the CPC vote is close to that of the Liberals, one should hold their noses and vote for their opposition.

This would be not so much about voting against the CPC, but more like a lesson and a price to pay for departing from social and fiscal conservatisme.

That's all it would take. No campaigning, financing, or voting from the so-conneds.

Simple.

Yo! Fucking Liberals ®! You paying attention? There's electoral gold in and around Toronto and elsewhere. Exploit it.

You're welcome.

Saturday, 4 December 2010

Con blue sweater has officially jumped the shark. (Update)


Too much of a very baaad thing, I'd say.

And doesn't Fuzzy Fantino look absolutely overjoyed in this photo op?

After the by-election results were confirmed, k'in - a loyal reader and clever commenter - observed at Bread'n'Roses:
Is there room in the Con party for two dictators? I just can't see Fantino sitting down and shutting up and hiding out in the box where Steve keeps Cheryl Gallant. He doesn't take orders, and Steve doesn't tolerate insubordination. Plus the Cons have become scarier with this new addition. Even Blatchford (!!) doesn't support Fantino. Hopefully this much touted breakthrough in the GTA will backfire. Two fascists, three (Harris) stooges, and a bunch of refoooorm party leftovers. That's your "new Canadian government" folks!
Expect more of the Con 'Stupid On Crime' blather, with extra-super authoritarianism.
Update: Scott Feschuk has uncovered young Julian's tough-guy letters to Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.

Left Meets Right. Again.

Zow! My Facebook friend Connie really really really doesn't like rookie MP Julian Fantino.
Fantino is a scumbag. I would vote for Pierre Trudeau himself before I would mark an X for that piece of work. Why do the Conservatives think running him is a good plan???

That's some strong language from a so-con.

In related news, Julie comes out from wherever they stashed him during the campaign to whinge.
Mr. Fantino accuses Mr. Trudeau of taking the information out of context, noting that at one time in Ontario more than 40,000 criminal cases were thrown out because of the “justice delayed is justice denied” section of the Charter.

“I mean these are serious, serious issues and I found it quite distressing really that Justin Trudeau would be trotted out to misrepresent what I said and take it out of context. It was an Academy Award performance.”

“You know what, here’s me with 42 years of working night shifts and facing people with loaded guns and dealing with murderers and rapists ... and I get a lecture from a newbie. C’mon.”

As always, pugnacious and WRONG.

Who's the newbie, asshole?

(I guess it's 'Julie, Julie, Julie Day' here at DAMMIT!)

ADDED: It's Fantino Day at Twitter. Somebody started the game 'Julian Fantino is so tough that. . . ' Fun stuff.

Friday, 26 November 2010

More Conservatives Against Fantino

In DJ!'s ongoing campaign to help divide the right, this is heartwarming.

The Freaks are discussing the Vaughan by-election. It seems they don't like Julian Fantino much.

Fabulous Fred said:
It is the duty of all good conservatives in Vaughn to vote liberal.

The message must be delivered to Harper's ivory tower that only genuine bona fide conservatism is palatable. If Fauntino wins it open the flood gate for disgruntled Dippers and Liebrals to run as CPC candidates without ever altering their political beliefs one iota.

Yeah, because authoritarian, homophobic Fantino is just another soshialist in cunning disguise.

Ah well, who cares really? The Freaks can join the original Conservatives Against Fantino with our blessings and good wishes.

BONUS: Isn't this special?
Meeting Conservative Julian Fantino last month on the hustings for the upcoming Vaughan by-election didn't go as Liberal Tony Genco expected. He'd imagined pleasantries between competing candidates.

Not quite.

“I gave him my best wishes,” Genco told the Star, “and he told me some of my signs were too close to his campaign headquarters so he'd had his people take them down.”

“I was totally surprised,” said Genco. “I asked him if he would please give them back — they're expensive, you know — but he didn't respond.”

Genco apparently never did get his signs back — an example, according to his critics, of the arrogance of a former top cop who's used to doing what he pleases.

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Help Defeat Fantino, Part 2



Pam Allard, one of the admins of Canadians Defending Democracy, formerly Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper, or CRUSH, reports on the wall at the Facebook page:
I have great news! The Vaughan Citizen has been given the go-ahead to publish our ad this Sunday, before the Vaughan by-election. We are also pursuing some advertising opportunities in the Ottawa Valley in the near future. Please contribute what you can to our ongoing advertising campaign to defend our democracy.

The Vaughan Citizen seems to be part of the Metroland chain that had previously refused to publish the group's ad.
Launched in August of 2001 The Vaughan Citizen takes over where The Vaughan Liberal left off. With a circulation of 31,625 the Citizen is distributed on Thursdays and Sundays to selected homes in the 'City Above Toronto'. It was decided by Metroland's York Region Newspaper Group, that the community was large enough to have its own community newspaper resulting in the birth of the Vaughan Citizen.

Hmm. I'm thinking that some of those 'selected' homeowners who get the Vaughan Citizen might drop into their local Timmie's and leave the paper behind, open to the appropriate page.

Canadians Defending Democracy is a totally grassroots, multi-partisan group, an offshoot of Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. Remember, it was labelled a 'radical anti-Stephen Harper group' by internal ReformaTory talking points.

What's not to like about that?

If you do like, please send them a few bucks from their still-under-construction new site.

Me, I'm not only radically anti-Stephen Harper, I'm radically anti-Julian Fantino as well.

Monday, 22 November 2010

Help Defeat Fantino



Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper, or CRUSH, has changed its name and has a new website, albeit still under construction. The old website, its main source of donations, was down for quite a while, just as they're trying to raise dough for the fast-approaching by-elections.

Here's the new site for Canadians Defending Democracy. The goal is the same -- to rid Canada of this plague of NeoTheoCons by getting ordinary Canadians thinking and talking about the damage they've done and continue to do.

The plan was to place an ad in the Vaughan Metro where the odious and absent Julian Fantino is 'running'. But after accepting the ad, Metro decided not to run it, just like in Calgary, where the Calgary Herald and then Calgary Metro both accepted, then refused to run the group's ad.

So, now the only available outlet is the Toronto Star, which is a good deal more expensive. In fact, Canadians Defending Democracy need $3,000 and they need it soon.

Please consider sending a few bucks. Torontonians in particular know what a scary, homophobic authoritarian Fantino is. (I've got a blogpost in the works, just hitting the lowlights highlights of his terrible career.) His political ambitions have to be squashed flat NOW.

CDD is also running ads in Winnipeg in aid of the other by-elections, but for me, Fantino is the much bigger menace. (You should hear my usually good-natured sweetie on the subject.)

Come on, progressives. If Conservatives Against Fantino, run by racist Gary McHale, can register as a third party and spend up to $3,765 to oppose Fantino, surely we can pony up a few bucks to help. My enemy's enemy and all that.

You can see a bigger version of the ad here.

Also, please help publicize the new Pay-Pal friendly site and the Facebook group.