CONservative Campaign Returns

READ THIS AND READ THE NEXT STORY...THOSE NUMBERS JUST DON'T ADD UP!

Candidate's information
Name of candidate
MacKenzie, Dave
Political party
Conservative Party of Canada
Electoral district
Oxford
Official agent's information
Name of official agent
Boughtflower, Arthur Roy
Summary information
Number of contributors
272
Total amount of contributions ($)
55,930.00
Total amount of transfers ($)
24,200.00
Total amount of election expenses subject to limit ($)
66,963.13
Permitted limit of election expenses ($)
76,786.60
Total of candidate's personal expenses ($)
1,368.08
Auditor
Name of auditor
Dieleman, Bob
Auditor's report qualified (yes or no)
N

And Today...A List Of Local CONservative Donors

A LIST OF POLITICAL CONSERVATIVE DONORS

Name of contributor
Name of candidate/ Political party/ Electoral district
Date received
Class of contributor/ Part # of the return
Contribution given through (name of association)
Monetary($)
Non-monetary ($)
3755428 Canada Inc. (Dennis Vollmershausen)
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 8, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

1,000.00

Gord Anderson
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 21, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Gord Anderson
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 20, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Anderson's GM Village
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Mar. 24, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

900.00
James G Battin(A REALLY BAD LAWYER BY THE WAY)
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 9, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Jack W Bingham(former can tire operator)
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 16, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
Jack W Bingham
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 9, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
Walter Booth
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Arthur R Boughtflower
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 21, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Arthur R Boughtflower
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 20, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

200.00
Grant Brayshaw
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 8, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
David Pye, Brighton Properties
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 13, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Gary Brown
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 11, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

1,000.00
Burns Demeyere & Associates
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 16, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

100.00
Burns Demeyere & Associates
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 23, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

250.00
G. R. Burton
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
G. R. Burton
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 4, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Caressant-Care Nursing and Retirement Homes Limite
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 20, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

1,000.00
Michael B Carnegie
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 9, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Christhopher Chapman
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 23, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Robert G Corlett
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 28, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Maureen D Cowan
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 23, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Cowan Insurance Group Ltd.
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 23, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

250.00
Bob Dieleman
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 7, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Ronald R Doney
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 7, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
Ronald R Doney
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 16, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
E. & E. McLaughlin Ltd.
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 23, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

1,000.00
Les Ficzere
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

200.00
Les Ficzere
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 9, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

200.00
George M. Glanville
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Gorwood Automotive & Industrial Supplies Ltd.
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

1,000.00
Bruce Halliday
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 28, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Ernie Hardeman
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 11, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
Albert Hargreaves
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 30, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Donald Hart
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 30, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
David R Henesey
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 8, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Holland Hitch of Canada
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 21, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

500.00
Incroft Farms Limited
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 18, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

250.00
Ingrox Limited
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Mar. 10, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

700.00
Jamieson-Hilts Insurance Brokers Ltd.
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 30, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

250.00
Steve Kiosis
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 7, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
George Klosher
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 17, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Elizabeth Lessif
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 16, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
John Lessif
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 11, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Dave Mackenzie
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 18, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

240.00
Lynda MacKenzie
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 23, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
William E Mackesy
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 16, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Masterfeeds Inc.
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 23, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

500.00
Ian McAskile
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 17, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Wilson McBeath
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 13, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Grant W McGee
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
James McNamara
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 30, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Jacek Mokrzewski
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 22, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Oxford County Insurance Brokers Association
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 18, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

250.00
James R Palmer
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 7, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Robert Pow
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Robert Pow
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 9, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Leonard Reeves
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

1,000.00
Richardson & Brayshaw Insurance Brokers Inc.
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 8, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

250.00
Hank Roy
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 22, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

300.00
Sierra Construction (Woodstock) Limited
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 18, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

1,000.00
Grant J Smith
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 28, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

250.00
Tillsonburg Glass & Mirrow Limited
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 30, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

400.00
Timberland Equipment Limited
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 31, 2005
Corporations / Part 2b

1,000.00
V. J. Kaufman Limited
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 20, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

500.00
Harry Vleuten
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 22, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

200.00
Harry Vleuten
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 4, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

200.00
Dennis Vollmershausen
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 7, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

1,500.00
Dorothy Ward
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 28, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Reginald Ward
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 28, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Jean Wettlaufer
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 28, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

200.00
Jean Wettlaufer
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 4, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

200.00
Ken J Whiteford
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 23, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
Ken J Whiteford
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 19, 2006
Individuals / Part 2a

400.00
Lynda Whiteford
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Dec. 23, 2005
Individuals / Part 2a

500.00
Woodstock Print & Ltho Ltd.
MacKenzie, Dave / Conservative Party of Canada / Oxford
Jan. 17, 2006
Corporations / Part 2b

500.00

National Literacy Program For Adults...CHOPPED

TREASURY BOARD PRESIDENT JOHN BAIRD SAYS, " My government would rather spend more money teaching children how to read and write than try to help illiterate adults."

The Harper minority government has decided that it is a waste of time to teach anyone other than children the ability to read and write, so as a result they have chopped the federal financing of a national literacy program that was designed to empower people.

I'm thinking that when all else fails, stupidity reigns large.

Perhaps the reasoning for axing this one, was the fact that, the more adults that can read, the less likely those reading adults (who ultimately will read all of the Tory horror stories...now that they are able to)will vote for the CONservatives.

Laureen Harper(the poor wife of our sad leader), was standing on a street corner in Ottawa yesterday, handing out newspapers to kids whom she said couldn't read, but that the newspapers would make good bedding for their pet hamsters. When asked what the point of standing around doing what she was doing was, she responded that, "You can't succeed in life unless you read," and, "That's it, that's the number one thing. Get out of school and you have to know how to read."

"I think if we're spending $20 million and we have one out of seven folks in the country that are functionally illiterate, we've got to fix the ground floor problem and not be trying to do repair work after the fact," Baird said as he handed out newspapers alongside Harper.

So, is this our new education plan for Canada? Will the handing out of newspapers(all CONservative friendly) educate our children? Is this all the COns have to offer for a "renewed educational strategy" ?

Scott Brison. A liberal Aprty critic stated, "It's time, though, for Laureen Harper to have a chat with her husband about reversing the cuts.

It's probably a good idea that Laureen go home today and have a good talk with here husband Stephen Harper about why he doesn't support adult literacy programs," Brison said.
"It's possible that these cuts . . occurred without thinking them through," he added.
"There's still an opportunity to reverse those cuts and I would urge him to do the right thing."

The right thing?

Harper has done "the right thing" according to his own personal philosophy, and it will take more than Scott Brison to have it changed, in fact, it will take an election to accomplish this.

CONservative Government Cuts Social Program Funding

TORIES BEGIN THE PROCESS OF DESTROYING CANADIAN SOCIAL FABRIC

The Canadian CONservative government of Stephen Harper are in the midst of destroying Canadas' social safety nets.

Stephen Harper announced yesterday that his CONservative government will begin the process of axing medical research, womens' issues funding, legal challenges arising from improper laws that are pointedly inequal, and investment in the North West Territories, in the hopes of saving another $2 billion this year.

Some of the programs, initiatives and other areas being eliminated or reduced to help the federal government save $1-billion over the next two years -- part of a $2-billion savings plan -- and the amount of savings for each:
$50-million: Elimination of unused funding for Northwest Territories devolution
$4-million: End to medical-marijuana science funding
$78.8-million: End to program that gave GST rebates to tourists$11.7-million: Removal of unused funds for mountain pine beetle initiative
$46.8-million: Smaller cabinet announced in February
$45-million: "Efficiencies" in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
$4.25-million: Consolidation of foreign missions$13.9-million: Cancellation of National Defence High-Frequency Surface Wave Radar Project
$6.5-million: Elimination of funding for the Centre for Research and Information on Canada
$4.6-million: Cuts to museum assistance
$5-million: Administrative reductions to Status of Women Canada
$6-million: Operational efficiencies at the Canada Firearms Centre
$4.2-million: Cuts to Law Commission of Canada$15-million Elimination of residual funding for softwood-lumber trade litigation
$4.6-million: Elimination of the RCMP drug-impaired-driving program's training budget
$5.6-million: Elimination of Court Challenges Program

The most disturbing reduction would be in the court challenges program which allows people to challenge laws developed by government based on social inequity. The idea behind this program is that while governments are permitted to devlope laws, they are not always constitutionally correct, and as a result a "pool" was set up in order to finance the challenges. John Baird(the cheshire cat)(oh yeah, search for that on the treasury boards' site and see what you get)stated that he loathed the idea of making laws that people could challenge by using the federal governments' money. He felt that it "just does not make sense to finance leagl appeals", so basically he's saying the laws will stick..unless you have money to fight them.

The Tories have pledged to reduce the ballooning deficit this year by 12 billion dollars, and have promised to run the books tight to the chest leaving no surpluses.

The government has promised corporate tax cuts, and at the same time says it will raise personal taxes again on low income earners in an effort to get them looking for better jobs that pay better and as a result they will earn a lower tax rate as their pay scales increase.

When will these asses be leaving? Jim Flaherty couldn't keep his shit together for nothing while in Ontario...it sure is sad to see this stunned rabbit running our countries' finances.

GREAT CANDIAN SHORELINE CLEANUP A BIG SUCCESS

WOODSTOCKS FIRST SHORELINE CLEANUP A MAJOR SUCCESS

On Saturday September 23, 2006, myself and a good number of people(approximately 40) spent our day picking up garbage at Pittock Lake Park, participating in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. The event was a giant success.
I wanted to thank everyone who participated;
Dave Nadalin who came out and offered up his services including the removal of a few tires for us, (it must be noted that all city councillors, including our mayor were invited, and of everyone invited, only Dave showed up, which speaks volumes in itself!)The Oxford NDP Riding Association who mustered up some people(their riding president and her family) and offered up a truck to haul the garbage to the dump,(we filled this truck to capacity..an entire half ton, filled to the ceiling of its' cap!), All the guys at the Parks department who lent us their trusty "garbage pokers" which were of great value to us, and of course John Duffy Sr., who brought his grandkids out for the day(what a way to teach good environmentalism , and what a great job he and those little ones did!), the staff at Central Public School who sent out a group of kids, with an EA,(who particpated in ernest), the operators of Nomad Radio who being new to Woodstock thought this was a great way to get out and meet people in the community, Heart FM for their strong presence in the days leading up to the cleanup, informing people what was up, the Oxford Shopping news and the staff at the S-R for their promotion of the event and the great number of people who came out, got down and really dirty, picked up garbage and made an impact on our local environment.
Students earned volunteer hours for the event, and several high school students came out to fulfill those hours. It was a great day, the weather held out and we worked in relatively dry conditions.
The amount of garbage was astounding. The types of garbage tossed into the local ecosystem is far ranging. My biggest brick for the day though is: to the folks who pick up their dog poop with those little provided bags(or grocery bags). Just what the heck are you doing picking it up with that handy little bag, and then throwing it under the nearest shrub? This is a completely stunned action on your behalf, and I, Myself picked up 23 bags of doggy doo, fully sealed up in nice plastic bags chucked under the nearest bush. You people would be better off just letting it lie where its' dropped instead of bagging it up for our future generations to come across.
Next on the list, Tim Hortons' cups,(and their pesky invincible lids) water bottles, bait containers, fishing line, fishing lures, hooks, crack pipes, syringes, an entire campsite with someones' entire life left behind(kids clothes, pictures, toys and legal documents with the names Sherry and Mike McLelland, construction materials, real estate signs, and wow..the most astounding discovery of all...a styrofoam clamshell container marked QUARTER POUNDER WITH CHEESE. Does anyone remember when McDonalds quit using those things? Some of the students had no idea what they were looking at..I asked them, do you remember these, they said no, I asked how old they were, 17 they replied. And to think they couldn't remember that container...which only means that it had been lying in the bush for many years, and still looked like it was tossed out yesterday. A true artefact of our food pop culture.( i should have kept it..the chance of seeing another one are slim...)
Everyone had the opportunity to take in a beautiful day in wonderful surroundings, on a great fall day.
So to everyone who came out, assisted, promoted and worked on this, hats off to you, we all made an impact, and if we all took it upon ourselves we could make Woodstock more than just a great place, but a clean place for all to enjoy, for many years to come.
In coming weeks we will be compiling this data and we will be sending it off to the Vancouver Aquarium, and the Ocean Conservancy Institute. They will place the data in a worldwide bank, and will use this information to build better environmental laws, and to pressure fast food industries to come up with better ways to sell their stuff.
Once again, thank you everyone, and don't think we only need to do this 1 day a year, but everyday when we are out walking, we should take it upon ourselves to remove those items of refuse and "lets' put litter in its' place!"

Canadian Government Violates Privacy Laws

CONSERVATIVE PARTY MEMBERS FREELY DISCUSS THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE ACCESS TO INFORMATION REQUESTS, IN VIOLATION OF CANADAS' PRIVACY LAWS

Stephen Harper and his CONservative party, have found themselves on the recieving end of accusations that include breach of privacy and violation of the public trust after conversations were held with the Prime Ministers' staff, including communications director, Sandra Buckler, detailing requests for information from CP reporter, Jim Bronskill .

According to the minutes obtained from the PM's office, one official stated; "Noted there will shortly be another Bronskill/CIA planes article," referring to an upcoming news story on the CIA usage of Canadian airstrips.

The Montreal Gazette, also using access to information procedures, received minutes of meetings in March of this year, in which Buckler and other communications officials were freely discussing the names of reporters who had filed requests for information, all clearly in violation of Canadas' privacy laws.

News of the violation spread rapidly amongst reporters who have made claims that the Prime Ministers' Office and communications specialists from the same office are waging a grudge war against these journalists for not reporting the news as the PMO would like them to.

The Liberals have moved in for the kill.

Ralph Goodale, Liberal House Leader, has stated that they will pursue this to the ends of the earth. He has been working on information that details large scale fraud at the CONservative party convention.

He has accused the Conservatives of failing to live up to election financing regulations.

On Tuesday, Chief Elections Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley rejected the Tories' claim they didn't have to disclose fees — up to $600 — paid by delegates to the 2005 policy convention because the fees covered only the cost of the meeting and were therefore not donations, but this is contrary to the elections act which states they must declare this money. If those fees are counted as donations, then many Conservatives may not have complied with limits on party funding contributions.

It's interesting to note that any individual that violates election law, is refused the opportunity to run in the next election.

US Government Announces Its' Intent To Create A Virtual Barrier

US GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS BEGIN THE TENDERING OF A NEW INTERNATIONAL BARRIER BETWEEN US...AND THEM (TOO PINK FLOYDISH?)

The United States, in order to protect themselves from us scary Canadians, has decided to build a "virtual" wall between Canada and the United States.

Details on the proposed arrangement are very slim at this point, but it is believed that instead of a large fence, that a virual fence involving armed flights, unmanned and controlled by a series of "relay towers" will be amongst the proposals put to tender today in Washington.

Boeing spokesperson, Robert Villanueva stated that "It's a multibillion-dollar project that could result in a string of towers or skies full of unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, planes, helicopters or blimps.
"They didn't give us instructions that were too specific, but have asked us to use our creativity in manufacturing plans for border protection". Boeing is advocating a mix of towers with sensors, miniature UAVs, subterranean scanners that can detect tunnels and better communications equipment for field agents.

Other companies, like Northrop Grumman Corp, "would like to utilize bigger hardware in the sky, like spy planes armed with laser guided missiles and satelites capable of exacting a multitude of attacks, laser and ground based alike".

Canadian officials(silent as usual) have not commented on the idea, aside from saying that "we are behind the United States , 1005 intheir endeavour to remove terrorism from the North American landscape".

It is unclear how many people cross the Canadian border into the USA at this point.

Well...personally, I can't wait. I would think that there is more probablitiy of terrorists entering Canada through the USA than there is the opposite. Lets' allow them to build this(not like we have a choice) and we'll celebrate because we've saved billions of dollars of our tax money, and we get a good barrier to boot.

Canadas' main threat to security is only a few miles away from us...lurking in our southern neighbours.

New Brunswicks' CONservative Government Defeated At The Polls.

IT HAS BECOME APPARENT THAT SOME TORY HEADS ARE GOING TO ROLL

In another indication of how poor and imbalanced Canadas' electoral system is, Shawn Graham's Liberal party has won the NB election, with a new majority government, but with less public opinion on his side than the CONservatives.

The Tories garnered 47.65 per cent of the popular vote compared to the Liberals' 47.00 per cent. It is quite obvious that if this were an election year based on fair and proprtional voting mechanisms, that this election would have turned out differently, and probably would have resulted in Bernard Lords' CONservative party returned to power.

I'm very humbled tonight," Graham said. "My mandate tonight is to change our province, to bring back the pride and restore the hope."
Graham told news sources that it was clear that New Brunswick voted for "a bold, new, activist government."

He won his election on a no nonsense platform of activist politics:

An immediate cut of 3.8 cents per litre from the provincial gasoline tax.
A bursary of $2,000 to first-year university students.
A plan not to include seniors' assets in calculating nursing-home fees.
A binding commitment to provide provincial funds to clean up Saint John harbour.

The issue of St Johns' harbour has played repeatedly into the hands of Graham as pressure mounted on the government to make a plan for the cleanup of the harbour. This has been an issue in several elections, and no one government has made an attempt to actually cleanup the environmental mess that St Johns' Harbour is.

Other factors in turfing the Tories are:

exceedingly high insurance rates, decreased economic activity, and the criss-crossing of the province by Tory Cabinet Ministers, who made $100 million in spending committments, hoping to buy their way into office once more.

it is interesting to note that Bernard Lord, CONservative leader, really did not have to go to the polls, but he was concerned with the prospect of the retirement of one of his MLA's, which ultimately would have put his government into a minority position, which he had no interest in participating in.

Power is greed and greed is power.

Four Canadians Soldiers, Killed In Afghanistan

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE MOVIE GROUNDHOG DAY?

It's almost like a constant replay, this continual mourning of Canadian soldiers, murdered in the far reaches of one of the most lawless nations on earth. Today we mourn four more men of ours, sent to defend something that most Canadians do not agree with.

"An individual on a bicycle detonated himself near the Canadian soldiers," Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, the head of NATO forces in the region, told reporters.
One of the soldiers killed in the attack has been identified as Pte. David Byers of the Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry based in Shilo, Man. He was originally from Espanola, Ont.

The rest of the soldiers have not been identified as of yet, pending notification of their families and next of kin. It is truly another sad day for Canada.

Canada is experiencing a shortage of leadership in regards to the mission in Afghanistan. Our men are being killed and maimed by suicide bombers, booby trapped cars, and every imaginable method of delivering terror to the front lines of this conflict. The Taliban appears to remain entrenched, even after repeated statements that we've cornered them, or we've got them on the run. This is sounding like a failed mission more and more each day.

The people we are hunting have the ability to cross borders into countries that we are not permitted to follow them into. This allows for indiscriminate bombing campaigns without much fear of repercussion.

It's time to move into a new phase of this war. Perhaps they should fence off the entire country, preventing the terrorists from leaving, and gaining shelter in neighbouring countries. Or better yet, lets' just bring the soldiers home. This war cannot possibly be won.

Harper States That Laws Do Not Prevent Crime

CANADAS' STUNNED PM STATES THAT CRIME CANNOT BE DIMINISHED WITH LAW

Stephen Harper believes that "Canadas' gun laws are a waste of time, and wouldn't have prevented the murderous rampage in Montreal this past week."

Harper used the backdrop of Dawson College (the site of Canadas' latest school shootings) as a means to announce that he will work on dismantling the long gun registry. Harper claimed that a registry would not have prevented the crime from taking place. Well, he's absolutely correct. It would not have done anything.

Perhaps banning the damned things entirely would be a good idea. In this day and age there really isn't a need for a houseful of guns, and any government that doesn't move to out and out ban them, is silly.

Canadians are sick and tired of the mayhem on the streets. People are afraid to walk in their own communities for fear of being blasted to bits by people out for a thrill. The usage of guns in cities is disturbing. There are no natural hunting areas in Toronto or Montreal, so why all the guns? The only thing to hunt in a place like Toronto, or Montreal: is people.

Why don't we move to ban the sale of guns in Canada?

Our Conservative government will never do this as they are in debt up to their necks to the gun lobby in Canada. They have kissed the asses of Canadas' gun sellers: the purveyors of death and murder. They have routinely espoused the right to own/possess/ and to discharge those weapons. They have enshrined in their political policy the idea that Canadians should not have to legally register their guns, and that gun ownership is the right of the people.

This is foolish. Amidst a rising tide of voter concern over this issue, Harper has offered nothing, but a renewed policy of "guns for freedom, guns for life".

Shame on our PM. I would have said shame on the cabinet as well, but everyone knows here that the only person running the show is Stephen Harper himself. Poor Buggers, they can't even stand up to be counted.

Election Battle Heating Up; Woodstocks' In For A Change

BATTLE FOR MAYORS' SEAT, AND COUNCIL SEATS HEAT UP IN WOODSTOCK

Numerous players step up to the plate for a taste of muncipal politics.

Here's a listing of people nominated for the municipal vote, 2006.

(good god...hopefully some of the old dead wood leaves this time)

HEAD OF COUNCIL (MAYOR)
Name Phone
Number
E-mail Address Date Filed
Brian CURRAH

519 539 2652

bcurrah@bellnet.ca

Michael HARDING
519 421 3126

mharding@execulink.com
David NADALIN

519 421 2838

dnadalin@rogers.com

CITY & COUNTY COUNCILLOR
Paul PLANT 519 537 3892

paul.plant@sympatico.ca

Pat SOBESKI

519 537 5223

pat.esp@rogers.com

Sandra J. TALBOT
519 539 6685

sandrajtalbot@sympatico.ca

CITY COUNCILLOR
Jim BENDER

519 421 5269

jim@ladygodivas.ca

Ross GERRIE

519 539 5570

rgerrie@rogers.com

Connie LAUDER

519 537 8352

clauder@city.woodstock.on.ca

Scott MacDONALD
519 539 6815

stmpc@rogers.com

Jim NORTHCOTT
519 539 3698

jimnorthcott@sympatico.ca

Deb TAIT

519 421 7449

debtait@execulink.com

Ed WISEMAN

(no details available)

THAMES VALLEY DISTRICT SCHOOL
BOARD

Graham HART

519 475 4892

g.hart@tvdsb.on.ca

Bill McKINNON

519-851-7501

Billie1690@hotmail.com

James STEWART
519 539 7886

jstewart@transdrive.com

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SEPARATE DISTRICT
SCHOOL BOARD No. 38

Clifford J ROACH
519-539-3414

September 11, 2006

FRENCH SEPARATE SCHOOL BOARD /
LE CONSEIL SCHOLAIRE DE DISTRICTE
DES ECOLES CATHOLIQUES DU SUDOUEST

Lucie GUILLEMETTE
519 467-0072

lguilemette@sympatico.ca

Harper Studies the Philosophy of Joseph Stalin

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER CLAIMS STALIN AS ONE OF HIS HEROES

According to reports surfacing from the National Post, Stephen Harper is a great fan of Joseph Stalins' leadership style.

Harper over the years has apparently styled himself after the former Soviet dictator, utilizing portions of Stalins' philosophpy in order to divide his troops, pitting friend against friend, in order to keep himself in power.

A senior conservative cabinet minister(who asked that the national post do not release his name) claims that:

Harper had "read and mastered" the biography and leadership style of Russia's Communist dictator Josef Stalin, and said the prime minister has adopted some of the same tactics.
"He plays people off against one another, he attempts to inspire fear rather than respect, he is unpredictable and he is 100 per cent focused on eliminating the opposition," the senior Conservative explained.

"In fact, Harper is so intense on getting rid of the opposition that he cannot focus on any other task except for that, and this is why the other policies of the government have taken such a back burner position.

The most important thing is to obtain a majority, at all costs, so that our party might move forward on our agenda, without the input of any other parties in parliament. We have epended as much energy in styming the opposition, as we have in developing policy and programs."

What kind of government is this? Is this what Canadians have paid for? We deserve a government that is in the business of governing, not in the business of creating social unrest, divisions, and loop holes for the extension of their powers.

Canadians have been trampled by successive self-interest leaders; people with a personal agenda, bent on destroying Caandianism.

Canada has suffered for many years at the hands of these typed governments.

We will be going to the polls in short order, perhaps November, or perhaps the spring. Harper seems interested in trying to pass one more budget, but it is likely that he will be hobbled at the onset by a renewed Liberal opposition in January.

Harper had good opportunity to make good changes, but instead has squandered them in his quest for a bigger slice of pie. It's amzing what greed and power have in common.

jim bender

woodstock

City of Woodstock Voting Locations

VOTING LOCATIONS RELEASED BY CITY OF WOODSTOCK THIS WEEK

AND HERE IT IS..A FINAL LIST OF PLACES TO CAST YOUR BALLOTT.

Voting Day – Voting Locations
The 2006 Woodstock Municipal election is an ‘at large’ election. This means that each eligible elector may vote at any one of the five voting locations on election day.
The voting locations for election day are as follows:
Location
Voting Hours
Berean Bible Church, 1140 Nellis Street
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday November 13th
C.A.W. Hall, 126 Beale Street
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday November 13th
Goff Hall, 381 Finkle Street
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday November 13th
Holy Family School, 177 Oxford St.
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday November 13th
Woodstock Public Library, 445 Hunter Street
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday November 13th

Pittock Cleanup Gains Momentum

GREAT CANADIAN SHORELINE CLEANUP GAINS STEAM THIS WEEK BUILDING UP TO SEPTEMBER 23

Woodstock's very first GREAT CANADIAN SHORELINE CLEANUP is gaining great momentum, and appears it will be filled with folks from all ages and all walks of life.

Students from several local high schools, as well as several local public schools have confirmed that they will be in attendance. School teachers and principals alike have been promoting the cleanup as a way of gaining student volunteer hours, and as a way of participating in the cleanup of our local resource, Pittock Lake.

Dave Nadalin, city councillor and mayoral hopeful, paid me a visit yesterday to confirm his attendance in the event, and as well, many NDP members, and Green Party members have confirmed that they'll be there.

Stan Keep of Keep Industrial in Woodstock has expressed his support and has offered to let us dispose of the garbage in his dumpster.(which is a mighty fine gesture, and much thanks to Fred Ditchfield who engineered this for us at the last minute!)

But most importantly, is the benefit to all of us who use this area, and the wildlife and fish that reside there.(although the incidence of wildlife spotting has become much reduced in recent memory!)

It's good to see our community come together in a most perfect way. And it's too bad the garbage is there in the first place.

jim bender

woodstock

The War On Drugs

Drug War Clock
It is Fri Sep 15 2006
Money Spent on the War On Drugs this Year
Federal State Total
The U.S. federal government spent over $19 billion dollars in 2003 on the War on Drugs, at a rate of about $600 per second. The budget has since been increased by over a billion dollars. Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy State and local governments spent at least another 30 billion. Source: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University: "Shoveling Up: The Impact of Substance Abuse on State Budgets," January, 2001.
People Arrested for Drug Law Offenses this Year

Arrests for drug law violations in 2006 are expected to exceed the 1,678,192 arrests of 2003.Someone is arrested every 20 seconds.Source: Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation
People Arrested for Cannabis Law Offenses this Year

In 2002, 45.3 percent of the 1,538,813 total arrests for drug abuse violations were for marijuana -- a total of 697,082. Of those, 613,986 people were arrested for marijuana possession alone. This is a slight decrease from 2000, when a total of 734,497 Americans were arrested for marijuana offenses, of which 646,042 were for possession alone. Source: Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation
People Incarcerated for Drug Law Offenses this Year

Since December 31, 1995, the U.S. prison population has grown an average of 43,266 inmates per year. About 25 per cent are sentenced for drug law violations. Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Preventable HIV Infections this Year

Nearly 4,000 new HIV infections can be prevented before the year 2007 if the federal ban on needle exchange funding is lifted this year.About 10 new cases could be prevented every day.Source: Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco
Related Links
Add the Drug War Clock to Your Website! (registered members)
Drug War Facts
Incarcerated America
Throwing Away the Key or the Taxpayers' Money? (PDF)
Mother Jones "Debt to Society"
Revising the Federal Drug Control Budget Report (PDF)
What Does The Drug War Cost?
The November Coalition
The Sentencing Project

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Insanity...

IT'S ABSOLUTELY INSANE

AND HERE IT IS...

“Insanity ... Continuing to do the same things and expecting different results.” - Albert Einstein

Pope Benedict Calls Founder Of Islam, A Terrorist

CATHOLICISMS' LEAD QUEEN RAISES SHIT WITH THE MUSLIMS

The pope, leader of the worlds' catholic population has made public a bitch he has with Islam.

Calling the founder of Islam, Mohamed, a terrorist will not gain him any points.

In this day and age of religious division, it is imperative that these groups of fanatics learn to respect each other. The name calling from one religious organization to the next is silly.

Benedict should know better. The Catholic Church, responsible for the crusades, and countless other atrocities,has utilized the sword for it's entire existence as a means of forcing people to convert to Catholicism. We have seen this from the Incans, to the North American Indians, and for this pope to be bashing opposing religious forces for using the exact same tactics, is silly.

Shame on the pope. There is no room for this type of behaviour.

The Road Map To Hell

from Mel Hurtig....

vive le canada

Canadian, U.S., and Mexican elites, including CEOS and politicians, have a plan to create common North American policies and further integrate our economies. This plan goes by various names and euphemisms, such as "deep integration", "NAFTA-plus", "harmonization", the "Big Idea", the "Grand Bargain", and the "North American Security and Prosperity Initiative". Regardless of which name your prefer, the end goal of all of these plans is to create a new political and economic entity named the North American Union (NAU) that would supercede the existing countries. Theoretically, it would be similar to and competitive with the European Union (EU). The individual currencies of each country would be replaced by a common currency called the "Amero" and everything from environmental regulations to security would be brought in line with a common standard. Vive le Canada.ca offers the following timeline as a resource to educate the general public about the progress of the three countries toward a new North American Union (NAU). Vive le Canada.ca opposes the creation of the North American Union (NAU) because we believe it will mean the loss of Canadian sovereignty and democracy and hand over more power to giant, unelected corporations. We also believe that unlike the EU, the countries joining the NAU are not roughly equal in size and power and that this means the U.S. will most certainly be setting policy for all three countries. Considering the unpopularity of the Bush administration and its policies in the U.S., Canada, and around the world we believe that erasing the borders between our countries and adopting U.S. policies at this time is a bad idea and will create economic, political and military insecurity in this country. We hope that raising awareness about the plan to create a North American Union (NAU) by 2007 will create opposition and encourage debate in all three countries, but especially in Canada. Note: This timeline is a work in progress and will be updated as events progress. If you notice a correction that needs to be made or an event that should be included, please email susan.thompson at vivelecanada.ca Timeline a.. November 13, 1979: While officially declaring his candidacy for U.S. President, Ronald Reagan proposes a "North American Agreement" which will produce "a North American continent in which the goods and people of the three countries will cross boundaries more freely." b.. January 1981: U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposes a North American common market. c.. September 4, 1984: Conservative Brian Mulroney is elected Prime Minister of Canada after opposing free trade during the campaign. d.. September 25, 1984: Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney meets President Reagan in Washington and promises closer relations with the US. e.. October 9, 1984: The US Congress adopts the Trade and Tariff Act, an omnibus trade act that notably extends the powers of the president to concede trade benefits and enter into bilateral free trade agreements. The Act would be passed on October 30, 1984. f.. 1985: A Canadian Royal Commission on the economy chaired by former Liberal Minister of Finance Donald S. Macdonald issues a report to the Government of Canada recommending free trade with the United States. g.. St. Patrick's Day, 1985: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and President Ronald Reagan sing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" together to cap off the "Shamrock Summit", a 24-hour meeting in Quebec City that opened the door to future free trade talks between the countries. Commentator Eric Kierans observed that "The general impression you get, is that our prime minister invited his boss home for dinner." Canadian historian Jack Granatstein said that this "public display of sucking up to Reagan may have been the single most demeaning moment in the entire political history of Canada's relations with the United States." h.. September 26, 1985: Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announces that Canada will try to reach a free trade agreement with the US. i.. December 10, 1985: U.S. President Reagan officially informs Congress about his intention to negotiate a free trade agreement with Canada under the authority of trade promotion. Referred to as fast track, trade promotion authority is an accelerated legislative procedure which obliges the House of Representatives and the Senate to decide within 90 days whether or not to establish a trade trade unit. No amendments are permitted. j.. May 1986: Canadian and American negotiators begin to work out a free trade deal. The Canadian team is led by former deputy Minister of Finance Simon Reisman and the American side by Peter O. Murphy, the former deputy United States trade representative in Geneva. k.. October 3, 1987: The 20-chapter Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA or FTA) is finalized. l.. November 6, 1987: Signing of a framework agreement between the US and Mexico. m.. January 2, 1988: Prime Minister Mulroney and President Reagan sign the FTA. n.. January 1, 1989: The Canada US Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA or FTA) goes into effect. o.. June 10, 1990: Presidents Bush (U.S.) and Salinas (Mexico) announce that they will begin discussions aimed at liberalizing trade between their countries. p.. August 21, 1990: Mexican President Salinas officially proposes to the US president the negotiation of a free trade agreement between Mexico and the US. q.. February 5, 1991: Negotiations between the US and Mexico aimed at liberalizing trade between the two countries officially become trilateral at the request of the Canadian government under Brian Mulroney. r.. April 7 to 10, 1991: Cooperation agreements are signed between Mexico and Canada covering taxation, cultural production and exports. s.. May 24, 1991: The American Senate endorses the extension of fast track authority in order to facilitate the negotiation of free trade with Mexico. t.. June 12, 1991: Start of trade negotiations between Canada, the US and Mexico. u.. April 4, 1992 Signing in Mexico by Canada and Mexico of a protocol agreement on cooperation projects regarding labour. v.. August 12, 1992: Signing of an agreement in principle on NAFTA. w.. September 17, 1992: Creation of a trilateral commission responsible for examining cooperation in the area of the environment. x.. October 7, 1992: Official signing of NAFTA by Michael Wilson of Canada (minister), American ambassador Carla Hills and Mexican secretary Jaime Serra Puche, in San Antonio (Texas). y.. December 17, 1992: Official signing of NAFTA by Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, US president George Bush, and Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari, subject to its final approval by the federal Parliaments of the three countries. z.. March 17 and 18, 1993: Start of tripartite discussions in Washington aimed at reaching subsidiary agreements covering labor and the environment. aa.. September 14, 1993: Official signing of parallel agreements covering labor and the environment in the capitals of the three countries. ab.. 1993: The Liberal Party under Jean Chretien promises to renegotiate NAFTA in its campaign platform, titled "Creating Opportunity: the Liberal Plan for Canada" and also known as The Red Book. ac.. December 1993: Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien signs NAFTA without changes, breaking his promise to renegotiate NAFTA. U.S. President Bill Clinton signs NAFTA for the U.S. ad.. January 1, 1994: NAFTA and the two agreements on labour and the environment go into effect, replacing CUSFTA. ae.. November 16, 1994: Canada and Mexico sign a cooperation agreement regarding the peaceful use of nuclear energy. af.. December 1994: The Summit of the Americas is held in Miami. The three signatories of NAFTA officially invite Chile to become a contractual party of the agreement. The Free Trade Area of the Americas or FTAA is initiated. According to the offical FTAA website, "the Heads of State and Government of the 34 democracies in the region agreed to construct a Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA, in which barriers to trade and investment will be progressively eliminated. They agreed to complete negotiations towards this agreement by the year 2005 and to achieve substantial progress toward building the FTAA by 2000." See: FTAA ag.. December 22, 1994: Mexican monetary authorities decide to let the Peso float. The US and Canada open a US$6 billion line of credit for Mexico. ah.. January 3, 1995: Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo presents an emergency plan. ai.. January 1995: President Clinton announces an aid plan for Mexico. aj.. February 9, 1995: Mickey Kantor, the US Foreign Trade representative, announces Washington's intention to include the provisions of NAFTA regarding labor and the environment in negotiations with Chile. ak.. February 21, 1995: Signing in Washington of an agreement regarding the financial assistance given to Mexico. Mexico in turn promises to pay Mexican oil export revenue as a guarantee into an account at the Federal Reserve in New York. al.. February 28, 1995: Mexico announces the increase of its customs duties on a number of imports from countries with which it does not have a free trade agreement. am.. March 9, 1995: President Zedillo presents austerity measures. The plan envisages a 50% increase in value added taxes, a 10% reduction of government expenditure, a 35% increase in gas prices, a 20% increase in electricity prices and a 100% increase in transportation prices. The minimum wage is increased by 10%. The private sector can benefit from government assistance. The inter-bank rate that is reduced to 74% will be increased to 109% on March 15. an.. March 29, 1995: Statistical data on US foreign trade confirms the sharp increase in Mexican exports to the US. ao.. April 10, 1995: The US dollar reaches its lowest level in history on the international market. It depreciated by 50% relative to the Japanese yen in only four years. ap.. June 7, 1995: First meeting of the ministers of Foreign Trade of Canada (Roy MacLaren), the US (Mickey Kantor), Mexico (Herminio Blanco) and Chile (Eduardo Aninat) to start negotiations. aq.. December 29, 1995: Chile and Canada commit to negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement. ar.. June 3, 1996: Chile and Canada start negotiating the reciprocal opening of markets in Santiago. as.. November 18, 1996: Signing in Ottawa of the Canada-Chile free trade agreement by Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada and Eduardo Frei, President of Chile. The agreement frees 80% of trade between the two countries. It is the first free trade agreement signed between Chile and a member of the G 7. at.. July 4, 1997: The Canada-Chile free trade agreement comes into effect. au.. 1997: The US presidency proposes applying NAFTA parity to Caribbean countries. av.. April 17, 1998: Signing in Santiago, Chile of the free trade agreement between Chile and Mexico by President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León of Mexico, and President Eduardo Frei of Chile. aw.. August 1, 1999: The Chile-Mexico free trade agreement comes into effect. ax.. September, 1999: The Canadian right-wing think tank the Fraser Institute publishes a paper by Herbert G. Grubel titled "The Case for the Amero: The Economics and Politics of a North American Monetary Union". In the paper Grubel argues that a common currency is not inevitable but it is desirable. See: The Case for the Amero ay.. July 2, 2000: Vicente Fox Quesada of the National Action Party (PAN), is elected president of Mexico, thus ending the reign of the Revolutionary Institutional Party (RIP) that had held power for 71 years. Mr. Fox is sworn in on 1 December 2000. az.. July 4, 2000: Mexican president Vicente Fox proposes a 20 to 30 year timeline for the creation of a common North American market. President Fox's "20/20 vision" as it is commonly called, includes the following: a customs union, a common external tariff, greater coordination of policies, common monetary policies, free flow of labor, and fiscal transfers for the development of poor Mexican regions. With the model of the European Fund in mind, President Fox suggests that US$10 to 30 billion be invested in NAFTA to support underdeveloped regions. The fund could be administered by an international financial institution such as the Inter-American Development Bank. ba.. November 27, 2000: Trade negotiations resume between the US and Chile for Chile's possible entry into NAFTA. bb.. 2001: Robert Pastor's 2001 book "Toward a North American Community" is published. The book calls for the creation of a North American Union (NAU). bc.. April 2001: Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and US President George W. Bush sign the Declaration of Quebec City at the third Summit of the Americas: "This is a 'commitment to hemispheric integration". See: Declaration of Quebec City bd.. September 11, 2001: A series of coordinated suicide terrorist attacks upon the United States, predominantly targeting civilians, are carried out on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Two planes (United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11) crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower (One and Two). Both towers collapsed within two hours. The pilot of the third team crashed a plane into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. Passengers and members of the flight crew on the fourth aircraft attempted to retake control of their plane from the hijackers; that plane crashed into a field near the town of Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Excluding the 19 hijackers, a confirmed 2,973 people died and another 24 remain listed as missing as a result of these attacks. In response, the Bush administration launches the "war on terror" and becomes very concerned with security. be.. December 2001: New U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci publicly advocates "NAFTA-plus". See: The Emergence of a North American Community? bf.. December 2001: U.S. Governor Tom Ridge and Canadian Deputy Prime Minister John Manley sign the Smart Border Declaration and Associated 30-Point Action Plan to Enhance the Security of Our Shared Border While Facilitating the Legitimate Flow of People and Goods. The Action Plan has four pillars: the secure flow of people, the secure flow of goods, secure infrastructure, and information. It includes shared customs data, a safe third-country agreement, harmonized commercial processing, etc. bg.. April 2002: The Canadian right-wing think tank the C.D. Howe Institute publishes the first paper in the "Border Papers" series, which they have described as "a project on Canada's choices regarding North American integration." The Border Papers were published with the financial backing of the Donner Canadian Foundation. Generally the border papers advocate deep integration between Canada and the U.S., and the first border paper "Shaping the Future of the North American Economic Space: A Framework for Action" by Wendy Dobson popularized the term "the Big Idea" as one euphemism for deep integration. To read the border papers, you can visit the C.D. Howe Institute website at www.cdhowe.org. Use the publication search form (1996 to current, PDF) and choose "border papers" from the "Serie contains" drop down menu. bh.. September 9, 2002: President Bush and Prime Minister Chrétien meet to discuss progress on the Smart Border Action Plan and ask that they be updated regularly on the work being done to harmonize our common border. bi.. December 5, 2002: The text of the Safe Third Country Agreement is signed by officials of Canada and the United States as part of the Smart Border Action Plan. See the final text here: Final Text of the Safe Third Country Agreement Refugee support groups on both sides of the Canadian-U.S. border criticize the new agreement dealing with refugees for stipulating that refugees must seek asylum in whichever of the two countries they reach first. Critics say that preventing individuals who first set foot in the U.S. from making a claim in Canada will increase cases of human smuggling, and that other refugees will be forced to live without any kind of legal status in the U.S. See for example: 10 Reasons Why Safe Third Country is a Bad Deal bj.. September 11, 2002: The National Post publishes an article by Alan Gotlieb, the chairman of the Donner Canadian Foundation and Canada's ambassador to the United States from 1981 to 1989, titled "Why not a grand bargain with the U.S.?" In the article, Gotlieb asks "Rather than eschewing further integration with the United States, shouldn't we be building on NAFTA to create new rules, new tribunals, new institutions to secure our trade? Wouldn't this 'legal integration' be superior to ad hoc responses and largely ineffective lobbying to prevent harm from Congressional protectionist sorties? Wouldn't our economic security be enhanced by establishing a single North American competitive market without anti-dumping and countervail rules? Are there not elements of a grand bargain to be struck, combining North American economic, defence and security arrangements within a common perimeter?" See: Why not a grand bargain with the U.S.? bk.. December 6, 2002: The White House issues an update on the progress of the Smart Border Action Plan. See: U.S. Canada Smart Border 30 Point Action Plan Update bl.. December, 2002: US Secretary Colin Powell signs an agreement between the United States and Canada to establish a new bi-national planning group at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) headquarters in Colorado Springs. The new bi-national planning group is expected to release a report recommending how the militaries of U.S. and Canada can "work together more effectively to counter land-based and maritime threats." See: U.S. and Canada Sign Bi-National Agreement on Military Planning bm.. January 2003: The Canadian Council of Chief Executives headed by Tom D'Aquino (also a member of the trinational Task Force on the Future of North America) launches the North American Security and Prosperity Initiative (NASPI) in January 2003 in response to an alleged "need for a comprehensive North American strategy integrating economic and security issues". NASPI has five main elements, which include: Reinventing borders, Maximizing regulatory efficiencies, Negotiation of a comprehensive resource security pact, Reinvigorating the North American defence alliance, and Creating a new institutional framework. bn.. January 2004: NAFTA celebrates its tenth anniversary with controversy, as it is both praised and criticized. bo.. January/February 2004: The Council on Foreign Relations publishes Robert Pastor's paper "North America's Second Decade", which advocates further North American integration. Read it at: North America's Second Decade bp.. April 2004: The Canadian Council of Chief Exectuives (CCCE) publishes a major discussion paper titled "New Frontiers: Building a 21st Century Canada-United States Partnership in North America". Some of the paper's 15 recommendations expand on the NASPI framework in areas such as tariff harmonization, rules of origin, trade remedies, energy strategy, core defence priorities and the need to strengthen Canada-United States institutions, including the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). Other recommendations focus on the process for developing and executing a comprehensive strategy, including the need for greater coordination across government departments, between federal and provincial governments and between the public and private sectors. bq.. October 2004: The Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP) is launched during the visit of President Vicente Fox to Ottawa. See: Canada-Mexico Partnership (CMP) br.. November 1, 2004: The Independent Task Force on the Future of North America is formed. The task force is a trilateral task force charged with developing a "roadmap" to promote North American security and advance the well-being of citizens of all three countries. The task force is chaired by former Liberal Deputy Prime Minister John Manley. It is sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in association with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales. bs.. December 29, 2004: The Safe Third Country Agreement comes into force. See: Safe Third Country Agreement Comes Into Force Today bt.. March 2005: The Independent Task Force on the Future of North America releases "Creating a North American Community - Chairmen's Statement". Three former high-ranking government officials from Canada, Mexico, and the United States call for a North American economic and security community by 2010 to address shared security threats, challenges to competitiveness, and interest in broad-based development across the three countries. See: Creating a North American Community Chairmen's Statement bu.. March 23, 2005: The leaders of Canada, the United States and Mexico sign the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America at the trilateral summit in Waco, Texas. Canada is signed on by Prime Minister Paul Martin. See: www.spp.gov. bv.. March 24, 2005: The 40 Point Smart Regulation Plan is launched as part of the SPP agreement. It is a far-reaching plan to introduce huge changes to Canada's regulatory system in