As climate accountability bill ditched, youth detained for disrupting Question Period on Parliament Hill

16 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2009-10-27 09:25

kim elliott kim elliott's picture

According to the CBC, there was a major disruption of Question Period yesterday, leading to youth being detained, and activist Jeh Custer apparantly beat up. New CBC Ottawa correspondent Evan Soloman interviewed Custer yesterday: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/26/house-commons-protest-environment.html

The protests arose as the Climate Accountability Bill (Bill C-311) was voted to be delayed by the Conservatives and Liberals, meaning that it won't have any influence on the government when it "represents" Canadians at the Copenhagen Climate Conference.

According to Ottawa reporter David Akin doors of Parliament Hill were uncharacteristally locked this morning, as he tweeted: "#HOC front doors locked and shut this morning. Odd. Hangover from yesterday's bloody protest?"

Though it seems that the action was not officially part of the PowerShift09 conference, activists were at a lobby day on Parliament Hill.

Were any of you at the PowerShift09 conference this week-end? It was apparently the largest gathering of youth in Canadian history to converge on Ottawa for a week-end of training, strategy, networking and lobbying for climate justice. Sounds like it was an extraordinary week-end in Ottawa!

Tue, 2009-10-27 12:22

Sarann

Why is the conference not covered by any of the MSM.

Tue, 2009-10-27 12:45

ennir

Well it is on CBC. I hope this does not go away, I hope the NDP bring it up over and over again.

Edited for content.

Tue, 2009-10-27 18:11

ennir

Thanks for elaborating on the coverage Kensky.

Wed, 2009-10-28 02:17

Noah_Scape

But what about the Climate Accountability Bill? I read the link and it is basically a call for "25% below 1990 levels by 2020", which is considered a bare minimum to avoid runaway warming, but it is a worthy goal, and I hope it will be what Copenhagen comes out with.

So far, CO2 emissions are still increasing; that first benchmark of 'stabilising CO2 emissions' will be tough to get to. It has to happen soon... 25% below 1990 by 2020. Remember that goal, demand it from our politicians. Its a minimum!!

I applaud these protestors, they made noise, they got noticed. Their actions might mean less access to the Parliament, which is too bad, but I do agree with their rage. We have not heard much more than a whisper about this Bill on mainstream media, and if disrupting the House is what it takes then so be it - emissions reductions is a issue worthy of this level of disruption.

So where is Jack Layton? He should be making the press conferance rounds, it IS his bill after all, and the LIBERALS supported the Government on delaying the bill [until after Copenhagen, so Canada won't have to commit to anything?].

Wed, 2009-10-28 03:16

remind

Quote:
So where is Jack Layton? He should be making the press conferance rounds, it IS his bill after all, and the LIBERALS supported the Government on delaying the bill [until after Copenhagen, so Canada won't have to commit to anything?].

hell, I think he should go on the Daily Show, The Hour, a skit on 22 mins, and maybe even SNL, as Jay Hill wants him charged with contempt of parliament, of all things,

so we have now reached a whole new level of the absurb...by both the Libs and Cons, and it all can be re-innacted

Iggy "fires" his chief of staff tonight...

...all of Canada now know he and Harper conspired together to do nothing again for the environment, and that Canada has been embarassed on the world stage again, and already, before even reaching Copenhagen empty handed. Their asses are uncovered...

The Liberals just snatched defeat from the jaws of defeat....by mooning Canadians with the Cons...

Meanwhile... Jay Hil is doing his part and keeping his party's uncovered ass in the news, by demanding that Layton be charged with Contempt of Parliament.

I tell ya... the environmental movement, going into Copenhagen could not afford to pay for advertising like this.

And that the Liberals and Consevatives are driving it, if only completely by accident, makes it even more funny.

...and now Iggy is out of the Ottawa equation, we know what he will be doing...sitting in isolated, Count Chocula, splendor, in the soothing confines of Christmas decorated Stornoway, thinking...

....while Chretien runs the Liberal Party and the official opposition, by Chief of Staff proxy

Welcome back Jean....

Wed, 2009-10-28 07:50

Ghislaine

Can the Copenhagan conference not be run by videoconference? Seriously, about the worst thing you can do in terms of emissions is have hundreds (or thousands?) or people flying around in jumbo jets. It just seems ludicrous to me. Why bother protesting at parliament weeks before spouting out more emissions per capita than any other Canadian who cannot afford or is not flying internationally?

Wed, 2009-10-28 08:35

Kensky

ActCity Ottawa covered some of the POWER SHIFT CANADA events in Ottawa, Oct 23rd to 26th. This was the start of a great

youth movement. In only 4 months a 110 volunteer youth from across the country organized the biggest environmental conference,

demonstration, press conference and lobby effort in Canadian history. The Opening Address Friday October 23rd was held at the Nepean

Sportsplex and most of the 1000 students from across the country were there to see and hear the guest speakers.

Article on Friday Opening Ceremony and Speakers:
PowerShift Canada 2009 Youth Summit on Climate Change - 1000 Voices for Change
http://ato.smartcapital.ca/actcity?go=2260504

On Saturday Oct 24 and Sunday Oct 25th there were 139 workshops on climate and activism topics at the University of Ottawa. The
Youth were billeted all over the City. They came by train, bus and plane from all over the country. The protest on the hill on Saturday
in the pouring rain was about 2500 to 3000 people. There was a decent sound system, a choreographed number by 100's of students
, rousing speeches for a decent policy on carbon reduction for Copenhagen in December and a mass choreograph of a ticking clock
simulation. Videos on this will be up on ActCity Ottawa shortly.

The organizers Amber Church and company were interviewed on CBC Morning Radio in Ottawa at 6:15 am and never mentioned on
on the 7 am news. The CBC coverage was disgraceful. Very little on mainstream internet as well.

On Monday more than 65 students had interviews with MP's and Senators arranged between 8 am and 7 pm that day. Some attended
a talk with Jack Layton and stayed for question period.

An interview with the Lead Co-ordinator Tria Donaldson, a 10 min. clip on ActCity Ottawa Youtube account or go to:
http://ato.smartcapital.ca/actcity?go=2260821

The is was an historical and monumental effort by people who left jobs and school to do this. The MPs only gave lip service to this passionate new movement. It will come back to haunt them.

Ken Billings
ActCity Ottawa
E:actcityottawa(at)gmail.com
http://ato.smartcapital.ca/actcity

Wed, 2009-10-28 09:29

Frustrated Mess Frustrated Mess's picture

Youtube video with protestor bloodied and in custody. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p0i_JoiSWA

When has the CBC worked so hard to discredit a single individual before? And yet the left continue to champion the state's propaganda organ.

Wed, 2009-10-28 15:53

#10

remind

hey FM, the world is always wierd, it seems, as now where CBC is failing to report, Global is stepping up to the plate.

Today's noon news hour was mind boggling I detailed it a bit over here

pressure is being advanced from some surprising directions other than those eco-youth

Wed, 2009-10-28 16:36

#11

Pogo

I found the blood to be exagerated even before they put up the other picture. It makes sense that he was hit and it turned out to be a slow bleeder (hence the earlier picture with no visible blood). Still the injury reminds me of the hockey player nursing blood out of a scratch to get a major penalty. The House of Commons staff take their job seriously and probably too seriously. They see defending the decorum as being of critical importance. They don't tolerate disruptions in the gallery. Most people who watch politics, know this.

The story should never have been that protesters got evicted roughly, but rather that they were willing to get evicted roughly to get their important point heard.

If the public gallery could be used to shut down government with impunity, the right wing zealots would have ground government to a halt long ago.

Wed, 2009-10-28 16:53

#12

Polunatic2

Quote:
hence the earlier picture with no visible blood)

Actually, CBC blogger Janyce McGregor did a sloppy job. They apparently looked at video with poor resolution which didn't pick up the blood. Check out this link although I think there's a better one somewhere that bebunks the CBC obfuscation and bullshit. I notice that McGregor has not updated her blog post to make a correction.

Funny, (well not really) how the media jumped on this story as a way to avoid telling the real story - i.e. the climate criminals running this country are going to Copenhagen empty handed.

ETA - This link is even better.

Wed, 2009-10-28 19:29

#13

kim elliott kim elliott's picture

Ben Powless just posted a new blog on this: "Bloodynosegate and the distraction from Parliament climate protests".

Wed, 2009-10-28 19:45

#14

Michelle

If you look at that first picture that E.Tamaran posted, it's so blurry that you can't see the fine lines of blood very well. But you can still see them slightly, on the left side of his mouth (looks like a shadow), and the line of his glasses on his nose.

Thanks to Ben Powless for posting video of the protester in police custody with blood all over his face (exactly as he appeared on television, unless you think the police let him put on Hallowe'en make-up in the bathroom before cuffing him and putting him in a chair), and for posting the pictures of him right afterwards.

It's scandalous that people are trying to smear a victim of police brutality as a faker. He clearly is not.

Wed, 2009-10-28 19:55

#15

Michelle

BTW, did anyone notice that one comment on the CBC article E.Tamaran posted where the guy said that next time the police should beat up protesters so badly that they can't do interviews afterwards, and if they don't want to do it, that he'd volunteer to do so? Not only did he incite violence against this guy in particular and protesters in general, but he also threatened to commit the violence himself if the police couldn't do it.

I thought, oh well, that's what happens when you have an unmoderated or semi-moderated comments section - but then I read under the comments that each comment was being "premoderated" before posting.

What a cesspool.

Wed, 2009-10-28 21:21

#16

E.Tamaran

kim elliott wrote:

According to the CBC, there was a major disruption of Question Period yesterday, leading to youth being detained, and activist Jeh Custer apparantly beat up.

The picture [on top]is a screen capture from raw ENG video footage ingested into our CBC server at approx. 16:28 ET yesterday afternoon.

[ NOTE: I've corrected this time. I originally made a type-o in this post -- entering 14:38 when I meant 4:38, or 16:38, which is correct. My apologies for any confusion. ]

The video would have been shot earlier than that, then walked to our office.

In this footage, a group of protesters, including Jeh Custer (shown here, speaking to the camera) is escorted off Parliament Hill by security.

This second image is how Jeh Custer looked as he was interviewd by Evan Solomon on CBC News Network at 17:15 ET.

Evan Solomon's full interview with Custer is here.

As those of you who read my tagged-on comment to my raw video post yesterday already know... re-viewing some of the CBC's footage later last evening revealed this discrepancy.

I'm not going to speculate further about it, because I think the onus is on the protesters to explain this.

http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2009/10/about-that-blood.html