Mar. 14, 2007: Canada - India , UN

Free trade agreement with India will boost Canada's prosperity and security , CCD Press Release on 10:24:41 2007/03/13
In Reply to: Ottawa pitching trade deal to India posted by STEVEN CHASE, Globe and Mail

canadiancoalition.com/forum/messages/21768.shtml

Ottawa, Canada - The Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD) welcomes the decision of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Government to begin negotiating a "high-quality free trade agreement" with India. This initiative was announced by Parliamentary Secretary Ted Menzies on behalf of International Trade Minister David Emerson in India on Monday night.

"This is a significant step towards realigning Canadian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region with the realities of the 21st century," said Dr. Salim Mansur, CCD's Senior Fellow and professor of political science at the University of Western Ontario.

“A free trade agreement, if signed over the next few years, will pave the way for advancing economic, cultural, educational, and social ties between Canada and India. ....

[....] Canadian foreign policy had its "golden age" some half century ago .... Canada's strong partnership with India within the Commonwealth and the United Nations was a key component of Ottawa's middle power diplomacy. Since then, the relationship between the two countries, despite the common heritage of parliamentary democracy, rule of law and English as an official language, has not been sufficiently nurtured. Today, India is world's largest democracy, the 12th largest economy and by 2025 expected to likely become the 4th largest economy, and a global power with more than a sixth of the world's population and a rising middle class of around 400 million.

"Looking ahead, the need for a Canada-India partnership is vital for both countries in the pursuit of common interests in wealth creation, global peace, regional stability and supporting the growth of democracies in the greater Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa and the coastal states of the Pacific region," added Mansur. "We also note that Canada's commitment to Afghanistan is matched by India's economic contribution, while Ottawa and New Delhi share similar concerns on UN reform." [....]

Suggestion: Why not turf connections with the UN for reasons which have been enumerated many times, its uselessness for anything but expanding itself and talking being paramount. End its expansion into Canada. Set up a United Democracies and see whether that would be of use. Set a time limit for its re-assessment. If UD proves no better, end it, and go it alone, making what treaties and agreements Canada's government might make. Get out of the business of supporting failure and hot air.

Mar. 13, 2007: UN Funding and Plans

Burkean Canuck

burkeancanuck.blogspot.com/2007/03/
what-canada-and-permanent-members-of.html

What Canada and the permanent members of the Security Council contribute to the UN , Russ Kuykendall on March 8, 2007

(Cross-posted from Burkean Canuck).
The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and their contributions (U.S. dollars) to the Regular Fund of the UN for 2006:

United States of America. Contribution to the "Regular Fund": $423, 464,855 (22% of total fund);

The United Kingdom. Contribution to the "Regular Fund": $117,934,962 (6.127% of total fund);

Republic of France. Contribution to the "Regular Fund": $116,067,867 (6.03% of total fund); ***

People's Republic of China. Contribution to the "Regular Fund": $39,516,971 (2.053% of total fund); and

Russian Federation. Contribution to the "Regular Fund": $21,173,243 (1.1% of total fund).

And Canada . . . Contribution to the "Regular Fund": $54,145,756 (2.813% of total fund). For more, see here (these amounts don't include the financial contributions to UN Peacekeeping, which are considerable. In Canada's case, this amounts to $133.6 million (U.S.). Nor does it include the following:

Canada is among the top ten donors to the [www.unsystem.org/] UN System of funds, programs and agencies, such as the UN Development Program, UNICEF and the World Health Organization, providing over US$600 million dollars a year in core and program funding.

So, somewhere in the neighbourhood of in excess of $780 million (U.S.), or about 875 million Canadian dollars. Here's the list of the top ten donors:
www.globalpolicy.org/finance/tables/system/topten.htm [....]

Burkean Canuck -- worth reading. Does anyone else feel that those who actually pay for the UN--by far the biggest contributor is the US--should be treated with more respect?

*** Why is France so influential in the UN and in Canada, using the UN and particularly, promoting the UNESCO / UN Protocol on Protection of ... [blah blah blah] ... which encompasses more than language? There is also a post Trudeaupean concern for Canada's natives and their culture (which has become dear to France and UN types), along with other causes. What do France and the UN really want? Oil? Minerals in the north? Power? Influence? I wish the feds would get France and its influence via Quebec politicians and their hangers on out of Canadians' lives; that's the ROC's lives to which I'm referring. Memo to Quebec politicians: What does France want from you and yours? Read the fine print and reconsider Canada.


The Global Policy Forum may be less than scientific. See: New GPF Page on Global Climate Change
www.globalpolicy.org/

Scientists agree that human activity causes a rise in both average world temperatures and the occurrence of extreme weather events.

Do scientists agree?

UN Finance

www.globalpolicy.org/finance/index.htm

The United Nations and all its agencies and funds spend about $20 billion each year, or about $3 for each of the world's inhabitants. This is a very small sum compared to most government budgets and it is just a tiny fraction of [....]

Many proposals for UN reform deal with restructuring the UN’s funding. Some suggest that the UN must seek alternative financing sources to fund its programs. Proposals include instituting a global tax on currency transactions, while others propose environmental taxes and taxes on the arms-trade. [....]

Background Information and Analysis on UN Finance
... including a history and a detailed chronology of the UN financial situation.

Tables and Charts on UN Finance
... data on member states’ assessments, payments and debts to the UN budgets.

General Articles on UN Finance
... including the status of member states’ payments to the UN and how some countries, including in particular the US, fail to pay on time and in full. [Re-check the figures above]

UN Documents on UN Finance
...

Financing of UN Programmes, Funds and Specialized Agencies
...

Alternative Financing for the UN -- This section provides information on alternative financing proposals (of the UN and development in general), including global taxes.

www.globalpolicy.org/finance/alternat/newindx.htm

Taking Action on UN Finance
This section includes information on the Millennium Mobilization, a call for action, and other activities related to the UN's financial dificulties.

General Analysis on Alternative Financing for the UN
... the need for alternative financing sources for the UN and looks at specific proposals, including a global lottery and an international financing facility.

Global Taxes

www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/glotax/index.htm

Many experts have suggested alternative financing schemes such as global taxes to improve the UN financial situation and make the organization less dependent on state contributions. This page explores global taxes and their dual role as policy instruments and as revenue sources for international programs and institutions. The page gives special attention to currency transaction taxes (Tobin tax) and energy taxes.

Links and Resources on UN Finance
...

I suspect it might be worth reading ... plans, plans, plans.

Have Canadians ever had a chance to vote on whether they think continued support for the UN is worth the money? Is continuing influence from the UN in Canada a positive or a negative? Has its effectiveness in anything other than its own growth and perpetuation been assessed? Let's have a debate, at least. Forget the Mothercorps; it is too biased for reasoned debate. The Blogosphere?

Mar. 3, 2007: WFM, Global Governance & UN Tentacles in CA

Update Mar. 6, 2007: In the screen capture on the World Federalist Movement in Canada, otherwise known as the World Federalists Movement, below, is mention of the UNEP or United Nations Environmental Program begun by Maurice Strong.

Related: Frost Hits the Rhubarb Feb. 26, 2007: Strong: Environmental Guru -- re: UN Maurice Strong Environment Kyoto

frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/2007/02/
feb-26-2007-strong-environmental-guru.html

At the United Nations, the Curious Career of Maurice Strong , By Claudia Rosett and George Russell, February 08, 2007

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250789,00.html

[....] Strong, now 77, is best known as the godfather of the environmental movement, who served from 1973-1975 as the founding director of the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi. UNEP is now a globe-girdling organization with a yearly budget of $136 million, which claims to act as the world’s environmental conscience. [....]

Rosset is worth reading; she has done considerable investigative work on the UN, its Oil for Food corruption, Tongsun Park and Maurice Strong's part in it and related journalistic work.


Related: Note mention of "Global Taxes": Frost Hits the Rhubarb Feb. 4, 2007: Science- Traditional Knowledge-Politics

Eminent Scientists' Conclusions, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, IPCC Summary a Political Document, World Federalist Movement and President, ex-Liberal Solicitor General Warren Allmand, Responsibility to Protect-R2P-R2PCS (Civil Society) ... Screen capture: WFM, UN Global Taxes which was updated Feb. 6, 2007 (I had typed 2006 in error.)

frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/
2007_02_04_archive.html


Search for United Nations in relation to R2P and R2PCS:

[....] Sheila Watt-Cloutier [Inuit activist]

[....] Jan. 20, 2007: #2

Kyoto, The Science and the Scientists, Native Input, Funding, Special Arrangements and More

[....] She champions ... traditional ecological knowledge [....]

Responsibility to Protect - Engaging Civil Society R2PCS. The project, which is a collaboration of the WFM [....]

WFM = World Federalist Movement and ex-Solicitor General and Liberal Warren Allmand, President. Check for taxpayer funds.

R2P = Responsibility to Protect
R2PCS = "Responsibility to Protect" and engaging "Civil Society"

Note: R2P and Global Taxes, Warren Allmand, International Criminal Court

There is more in that post if you check.


End of Update

---

I don't recall voting for this, that is, funding studies into the possibility of world federalism. Do you? It sounds too much like a world government run by the inept UN. Check further into the funding for all these helping, do-good, activist-filled organizations and homes for ex-politicians.

Double click the screen capture to enlarge the screen capture, then "back" to return.


Do you want Global Governance and to be taxed by the United Nations?


World Federalists Canada.org

Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly -- and here

www.worldfederalistscanada.org/




Search: world federalists movement [Note the S in federalists]

UNPA campaign -- Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly

www.vcn.bc.ca/wfcvb/unpafolder/unpa_home.html

UNPA = UN Parliamentary Assembly


If you Google "www.vcn.bc.ca", you will find this entry:

Home - Vancouver Community Network
Owns and operates a free, publicly accessible, non-commercial computer utility which provides public space on the internet.

www.vcn.bc.ca/

If it is free, who pays for it? Taxpayers?

Unfortunately, it may not be entirely apolitical. I am shocked.




Peace, Earth and Justice News -- or here

www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=
modload&name=
News&file=
article&sid=6599

Islands - Victoria News / PEJ Events
Date: Feb 09, 2007 - 09:57 AM
.
Left Coast Events - Lower Mainland - Feb 6 07

1. FROM BETTY K: Pls write a letter to the Judge!!!! - sentencing, Feb 8th
[....]
6. COOPRADIO.ORG: Prosecuting War Crimes - LawyersAgainst the War & Gail Davidson - Feb 12 & 29th
7. Georgia Strait Alliance News & Events - Feb 7-11,21-25th
[....]
9. Saving the Commons and the Commoners, Thur. Feb.15
10. Maher Arar Speaks! - Feb 16th
11. COPE Dinner with Jinny Sims - Feb 17th
[....]
13. OAXACA :: CONNECTING COMMUNITITES FEB 18
[....]
15. Upcoming Courses at SHADE Consulting - Feb 23, Mar3rd [....]

Google: www.vcn.bc.ca , wfcvb

World Federalist Movement Canada - Vancouver Branch
e-mail wfcvb@vcn.bc.ca. URL: http://www.vcn.bc.ca/wfcvb ... 2002-2004 World Federalist Movement - Vancouver Branch • wfcvb@vcn.bc.ca ...

www.vcn.bc.ca/wfcvb/

World Citizens Unite! | ChangeEverything.ca

www.changeeverything.ca/world_citizens_unite


Is this representing one side of the political spectrum using other taxpayers' money?


Empower the United Nations ! - Canada Young Disgners - Kenya Young General Assembly - Worldwide ... Note there are three urls.

www.vcn.bc.ca/wfcvb/
www.renewableplanet.org
www.empowertheun.org/signeesorgendorse.html


WORLD PEACE HERO TO BE HONOURED AT WORLD PEACE FORUM -- Note prominent names , June 22, 2006

ploughshares.ca/libraries/
Statements/WORLD%20FEDERALIST%20MOVEMENT.pdf

2006 award recipient is Project Ploughshares cofounder, Ernie Regehr

Vancouver—“Nations rightly honour their military heroes. The Canada World Peace Award celebrates those courageous individuals who make outstanding contributions to world peace and justice.” says Warren Allmand, President of the World Federalist Movement–Canada(WFMC).

Since 1972, WFMC's annual award has paid tribute to such champions of world peace as Lester Pearson, Stephen Lewis, Louise Arbour, Lloyd Axworthy and Roméo Dallaire. This year, the honour will go to Ernie Regehr, cofounder of Project Ploughshares, the influential global peace advocacy agency of the Canadian Council of Churches. The banquet award ceremony will
take place during the World Peace Forum in Vancouver ... (University of British Columbia campus).... Robin Collins, Chair of WFMC's Executive Council. [....]

Empower the United Nations !

I do not have much respect for the UN, given what has been revealed about its corruption. Why do Canadian taxpayer funds go toward a World Federalist Movement and undoubtedly, if one were to dig, to its United Nations tenatacles in Canada? Do you want Global Governance and to pay taxes to the UN? Information on this was posted on Frost Hits the Rhubarb in February.



Responsibility to Protect

www.worldfederalistscanada.org/R2Ppapers.htm


International Criminal Court

www.worldfederalistscanada.org/icc.htm

Indigenous People's Declaration

www.worldfederalistscanada.org/allmand_dec06.htm


World Federalists [note the S] Movement
Peace Operations and Civil Society

www.worldfederalistscanada.org/powg_dec06.htm

Global citizens movement
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_citizens_movement

Global Justice Movement

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_justice_movement

[....] Visions of a Global Citizens Movement

Orion Kriegman, author of Dawn of the Cosmopolitan: The Hope of a Global Citizens Movement, provides the most complete description to date of what a potential Global Citizens Movement might look like. In his introduction he states, “Transnational corporations, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) remain powerful global actors, but all of these would be deeply influenced by a coherent, worldwide association of millions of people who call for priority to be placed on new vales of quality of life, human solidarity, and environmental sustainability.”

Kriegman distinguishes this “coherent, worldwide association of millions” from the existing fragmented social movements active in the World Social Forum. These movements tend to be issue-specific – focused on labor, environment, human rights, feminist issues, indigenous struggles, poverty, AIDS, and numerous other interrelated but “siloed” efforts. Coherence among these movements would require a reframing of their work under the rubric of the struggle for a socially just and ecologically sustainable global society and the establishment of an institutional structure to defend the rights of humanity, future generations, and the biosphere. Kriegman asserts, “The upsurge of civil society activity, in the form of NGOs and social movements, over the past few decades can be understood as an early manifestation of the latency in the global system, and at the same time this transnational activity helps deepen the latency. However, existing social movements have not found a way to effectively balance the creative tension between pluralism and coherence to provide a collective framework for theory and action. Without a shared framework, it is hard to imagine how the latent potential would coalesce into a global systemic movement. The development of a shared framework will depend on new forms of leadership to facilitate engaged dialogue inclusive of diverse voices.” [....]

Feb. 26, 2007: Strong: Environmental Guru

UN Maurice Strong Environment Kyoto

At the United Nations, the Curious Career of Maurice Strong , By Claudia Rosett and George Russell, February 08, 2007


www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250789,00.html

NEW YORK — Before the United Nations can save the planet, it needs to clean up its own house. And as scandal after scandal has unfolded over the past decade, from Oil for Food to procurement fraud to peacekeeper rape, the size of that job has become stunningly clear.

But any understanding of the real efforts that job entails should begin with a look at the long and murky career of Maurice Strong, the man who may have had the most to do with what the U.N. has become today, and still sparks controversy even after he claims to have cut his ties to the world organization.

From Oil for Food to the latest scandals involving U.N. funding in North Korea, Maurice Strong appears as a shadowy and often critically important figure.

Strong, now 77, is best known as the godfather of the environmental movement, who served from 1973-1975 as the founding director of the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi. UNEP is now a globe-girdling organization with a yearly budget of $136 million, which claims to act as the world’s environmental conscience. Strong consolidated his eco-credentials as the organizer of the U.N.’s 1992 environmental summit in Rio de Janeiro, which in turn paved the way for the controversial 1997 Kyoto Treaty on controlling greenhouse gas emissions. [....]

Detailed, lengthy and definitely worth reading.