Oct. 4, 2006: Various

Ottawa finds $5-billion in suspicious transactions -- Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) figures, Scott Deveau, Globe and Mail, Oct. 4, 06

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2006
1004.wfinance1004/BNStory/National/home

The federal government's money-laundering watchdog found nearly $5-billion in suspicious transaction suspected of being linked to money-laundering, terrorism, or threats to national security last year, more than double the amount found in the previous year.

The figures come from annual report from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), which produces financial intelligence on money laundering, terrorist activity financing and threats to the security of Canada. The centre tracked more than 37 million transaction for the report tabled in the House of Commons Wednesday by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

During the fiscal year 2005-2006, the centre increased the size and scope of its financial intelligence output, deliberately focusing on identifying larger, more complex cases, the organization said in a statement Wednesday.

Its efforts resulted in the reporting of 168 suspicious cases to authorities, including 134 suspected money-laundering cases, 33 related to suspected terrorist financing and other threats to national security, and one case in which money-laundering, terror financing and threats to national security were all involved. [....]

Cut flow of dirty money, Ottawa is urged -- "The size and scope of the problem is much more . . . than we expected," , Steve Chase, Oct. 4, 06

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story
/LAC.20061004.LAUNDER04/TPStory

[....] The Senate banking, trade and commerce committee [....]

In 2005, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, flagged more than $2-billion worth of dirty-money transactions. [See the figure in the article above.]

The report lists gaps in Canada's dirty-cash detecting system, saying there are a host of sectors ripe for abuse by money launderers and terrorist fundraisers from diamonds to no-name bank machines and independently owned and operated pubs.

[....] The Senate committee ... require dealers in precious metals, gemstones and jewellery to [....]

Lawyers have long fought efforts by Ottawa to get them to spy on clients and supply information about their finances.

[....] Chris Walker, president of About Business Crime Solutions [....]

Mr. Walker said unlabelled bank machines -- which anyone can buy -- are the "perfect vehicle" for whitewashing money because there's no monitoring of who loads them with bills.[....]

Changes promised after IRB sex scandal , Brian Laghi, Oct. 4, 06, Globe and Mail

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2006
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Immigration Minister Monte Solberg pledged yesterday to ensure that future appointees to the Immigration and Refugee Board are fit for duty after an IRB member was suspended over complaints that he offered a favourable ruling to a woman in return for sex.

[....] During Question Period yesterday, NDP MP Olivia Chow demanded that the system be changed and a new level of appeals created to shear individual board members of some of their power.

"This is not just about a personal scandal, but a national disgrace," she said. "This will not be solved by replacing a Liberal crony with a Conservative crony. That will not work."

Mr. Solberg responded that simply adding another level of appeal to the process won't necessarily work either. "When bad people decide to do these things, it does not matter how many levels of appeal there are, it means that these people have tremendous power." [....]

Terrorists' mail still not monitored -- Prison system yet to crack down on incarcerated terrorists, report finds, By Jim Popkin, Rich Gardella, NBC News Investigative Unit, Oct 3, 2006

www.forumsvibe.com/elwoodpdowd/view
topic.php?t=465&mforum=elwoodpdowd

WASHINGTON - Convicted terrorists locked up in U.S. prisons can still use mail and verbal communications to conduct terrorist or criminal activities, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Department of Justice's inspector general.

The inspector general launched a review after a series of NBC News Investigative Unit reports in February and March 2005 revealed that jailed terrorists — even those responsible for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center — were continuing to support jihadists and encourage violence around the world.

[....] In addition to inmates' mail, the inspector general's report revealed another related security problem: The prison bureau "is unable to effectively monitor high-risk inmates' verbal communications, which include telephone calls, visits with family and friends, and cell block conversations."

The report found that bureau staff often do not listen to or translate calls in a foreign language by inmates on monitoring lists, including calls placed by inmates identified as posing the greatest risk of being engaged in illegal or suspicious activity. For example, the inspector general's report found that at Supermax, 50 percent of such calls each month were not monitored.

URL: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15120480

Some rights for prisoners are wrong for the society. The prisoners chose to act outside the society's norms, to become criminals. Why should they have rights to write and talk in a language not commonly used in the institution?




The health of small business -- Private health plans a good way to cut paperwork

www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.ht
ml?id=c0231596-d151-45d0-80be-f96825218c62

For many Canadians, the most attractive perk of employment is coverage under a health-care plan. Usually with large employers, they enter into such plans with insurers and cover all or part of the employee premiums. These are called private health services plans or PHSPs.

For purposes of the Income Tax Act, a PHSP is defined as a contract of insurance in respect of hospital expenses, medical expenses or any combination of such expenses, or a medical-care insurance plan or hospital-care insurance plan, or any combination of such plans. [....]

But what happens if the employer for whatever reason does not have such a plan, or has a plan that covers only some employees, such as those working full time, but not others?

In a recent ruling, the Canada Revenue Agency seems to offer a reasonable substitute. [....]

Russian spy sues Ottawa for being left out in cold , Marina Jimenez, Globe and Mail, Oct. 4, 06

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story
/LAC.20061004.SPY04/TPStory/National

A former Russian undercover agent who lived under a false name in Toronto and spied for the Russian government is suing Canada's immigration department for refusing to allow her to return here as a landed immigrant.

Elena Miller, a 43-year-old ex-spy, was deported in 1996 after her cover was blown by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Her second husband, Toronto physician Peter Miller, has tried for eight years to sponsor his attractive wife with the mysterious past, only to be stonewalled by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. [....]

Dr. and Ms. Miller recently relocated to Switzerland [....]

Get on the lawsuit bandwagon ...



Citizenship of convenience? Precedent and slippery slope?

Canada and Immigrants -- re: dual citizenship , Ellwood_P_Dowd. 10/04/2006 09:27:40

[In response to this:] "I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags, fighting foreign battles on our soil, making Canadians change to suit their religions and cultures, and wanting to change our country's fabric by claiming discrimination when we do not give in to their demands."

[....Comment:] It's too convenient to be a Canadian today. If this Arar lawsuit ends up awarding him millions it will get even more convenient.

[....] I mean that precedents have a way of becoming a slippery slope.

This is still bothering people. I posted on the book a little while ago but it is important to take back our schools and curriculum from activists.

Protest in Vancouver, Cnews Forum, posted by thierryt64, 10/01/2006 11:43:55 -- Disgustingly Graphic Girls’ Sex Ed Book Urging Lesbianism Coming to Manitoba Schools Posted on 09/19/2006 4:24:43 PM PDT by wagglebee

www.canoe.ca/mb2/messages/cnewsf/12723.html

www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1704526/posts

www.freerepublic.com/^http://www.lifesite.net/
ldn/2006/sep/06091901.html

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, September 12, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - High school girls in Manitoba may soon be reading detailed instructions on lesbian sex acts as part of their normal sex education curriculum, after the Ministry of Education accepted a manual emphasizing homosexuality as an optional resource for high school educators.

The Little Black Book--A Book on Healthy Sexuality Written by Grrrls [sic] for Grrrls claims to be a youth-friendly guide to teenage sexuality, offering girls advice and information.

In reality it reads like a guide to lesbian pornography, with section titles such as “My First Time F***ing a Girl” and “How to Use a Dental Dam” (a “safe sex” device for oral/anal sex).

The guide contains dangerously inaccurate information on “safe sex” practices, assuring girls that using devices to reduce sexually transmitted infections offers reliable protection, without including warnings of the failure rates of such devices. The World Health Organization warns that condoms, even when used properly, have a failure rate of 20 percent, crucial information missing from the manual.

“This is one of the most irresponsible and obscene school documents that we have ever seen,” said Joseph Ben-Ami, executive director for the Institute for Canadian Values, in a press release. “Using this as a guide to healthy sexuality for teenage girls would be one of the most potentially harmful decisions that any school could make.”

Ben-Ami called the book a “veiled propaganda piece,” saying it “undermines healthy parent-child relationships, substitutes voodoo myths for actual science, and provides advice that, if followed, will certainly result in real and serious harm to those who follow it.”

The guide encourages girls to explore lesbian sexuality, making the unfounded claim that only 10 percent of the population is heterosexual, with 80 percent being “mixed” or bi-sexual.

“The guide does not just endorse homosexual practice--it virtually promotes it, and portrays those who object to such practices, particularly parents, as being homophobes, stating that ‘A lot of parents are homophobic, and so are their children until they get minds of their own,” said Ben-Ami.

Read further there and Read coverage by Institute for Canadian Values:

www.canadianvalues.ca/news.aspx?aid=224

[....] The Institute for Family Values will send whatever evidence they have of the offending material to those who send an email with their contact information to:
noblackbook@canadianvalues.ca

[Comment on the Cnews Forum thread] Parents must be willing to oppose the governments intrusion into parental rights. Schools need to focus on core subjects and forget about the social engineering and PC nonsense. Math, science, writing, physical fitness etc. All controversial subjects (sex ed, politics, religion ) should be deemed non core and the parents given the right to remove their kids from these classes.

At least in Canada parents still have the right to homeschool or put kids in the separate school system. Parents in other countries are losing that right already.

www.brusselsjournal.com/node/1114