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Debates of June 8th, 2012
House of Commons Hansard #137 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was refugees.
- Question Period
- Points of Order
- Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
- Ride to Conquer Cancer
- Children on the Hill Daycare
- Emergency Response
- Saint-Léonard FC
- Republic of the Philippines Independence Day
- Okill Stuart
- Republic of the Philippines Independence Day
- Parks and Recreation Month
- Festivals in Brome—Missisquoi
- Ducks Unlimited Canada
- Aboriginal Affairs
- Retirement Congratulations
- Central Development Corporation
- The Economy
- 41st General Election
- Political Donations
- The Environment
- The Budget
- Ethics
- 41st General Election
- The Environment
- Fisheries and Oceans
- Election Spending
- Ethics
- The Environment
- National Defence
- Copyright Act
- Employment Insurance
- Employment
- Employment Insurance
- Agriculture
- National Defence
- Foreign Affairs
- International Trade
- The Public Service
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- Archives Canada
- International Trade
- Persons with Disabilities
- Financial Institutions
- Presence in Gallery
- National Defence
- Government Response to Petitions
- Committees of the House
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Questions Passed as Orders for Returns
- Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
- Transboundary Waters Protection Act
Bill C-38
Points of Order
10:05 a.m.
Nathan Cullen Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with respect to the point of order that was raised by the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands a number of days ago. We have heard from the Liberal Party and the government. New Democrats want to add our voice to the conversation in, hopefully, a timely and brief manner.
I rise in support of the motion by the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands with respect to her concerns and the concerns shared by many of us in this place about the manner in which the government has moved Bill C-38, the omnibus budget implementation act. My friend made a number of points. Some of them, we would suggest, are stronger than others for your purview, Mr. Speaker, but on the central theme we find ourselves in agreement.
On many of the concerns that were raised, you have heard from the official opposition New Democrats throughout question period, public commentary and in conversations in the House with you, Mr. Speaker, on the nature and form of the bill and the concerns we share with Canadians of its effect on members of Parliament to do our jobs. This is why I appeal to you directly, Mr. Speaker, in the decision that you have to make because, ultimately, it is your choice in the way we conduct ourselves as members of Parliament and the House conducts itself.
Let me take care of one point right away that the government has raised as a measure of defence of the process that we are engaged in with this more than 400-page budget implementation act, extending over more than 700 clauses, affecting as many as 70 acts of Parliament, either revoking them entirely or modifying them significantly. We have never seen the scale and scope of a bill like this before in parliamentary history, from our purview and the purview of experts who have watched this place over many years. Therefore, let us do away with the idea that the government believes that having a number of hours of debate either here or in committee has somehow satisfied the test that Canadians and parliamentarians understand what is in this act. That is, frankly, not the case. It is almost impossible to understand all of the implications that have been brought in with this act because the government is withholding certain pieces of information, which we will bring to your attention in days to come.
The first point that the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands raised was around the fact that there is no central theme to the bill, thereby making it inadmissible or detrimental to Parliament and parliamentary democracy.
The second point raised was that there was little or no link between the budget itself and what the government has called the budget implementation act. In passing conversation with somebody not as familiar with this place as members are, a Canadian would assume that a budget implementation act would be explicitly linked to the budget by its name and form. Yet we find within the budget implementation act many pieces of government policy that are never mentioned at all in the budget. One example is the removal of Canada from the Kyoto protocol. There is no mention of this in the budget whatsoever, no mention of any aspect of climate change policy or anything to do with that particular act of Parliament, and yet in the budget implementation act there are a couple of lines that remove Canada from that international treaty.
Aside from concerns about whether one agrees or disagrees with the government's intentions with respect to climate change and its lack of actions, the point has to be made that if a government is introducing a budget implementation act with all sorts of measures that have nothing to do with the budget itself, it becomes a budget act in name only. In the actual function, the government is piling in a number of initiatives, policies and new directions for the government that should stand alone and independent for discussion by MPs and the Canadian public.
The intervention by my friend in the corner suggests that for members of Parliament to be able to do our jobs, we need to be able, in good conscience, to hold government to account. Her third point was that the bill is not ready and imperfect and she made a number of interventions on that, which I will not touch on too much.
To your role in this, Mr. Speaker. Ultimately you are the arbitrator of this place and the defender of our privileges and efforts as members of Parliament to do what Canadians send us to Parliament to do, which is to hold government to account. That is not simply the role of opposition members. So too is it the role of government members in this place. They too are encumbered with the effort to hold government to account at all times.
If we remember parliamentary history, there was a time in this country that, when MPs were elected and then needed to be placed in cabinet, they actually had to run in a byelection because their role had fundamentally changed to one in which they were defending the government's policy, that is in cabinet, as opposed to sitting as a member of Parliament regardless of party affiliation. That role is fundamentally different.
The concern that we have is twofold. We have seen a trend of increasing cynicism from Canadians towards politics in general and towards this—
Bill C-38
Points of Order
10:05 a.m.
Bob Zimmer Prince George—Peace River, BC
NDP not Conservatives.
Bill C-38
Points of Order
10:05 a.m.
Nathan Cullen Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
—place in particular. I thank my friend from Prince George—Peace River for his intervention, but it was most unhelpful.
In the growing cynicism that Canadians feel towards our politics, it is—
Bill C-38
Points of Order
10:05 a.m.
Bob Zimmer Prince George—Peace River, BC
You are welcome. You are welcome.
Bill C-38
Points of Order
10:10 a.m.
The Speaker Andrew Scheer
Order. I will just ask the member for Prince George—Peace River to let the opposition House leader make his point, and then we can move on to orders of the day.
Bill C-38
Points of Order
10:10 a.m.
Nathan Cullen Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, confirming my concerns about the growing cynicism about politics is that when attempting to make a point in Parliament that is sound and reasoned, it is difficult to do it without being heckled from the government side.
My point is this, that all members of Parliament have a duty to the people we seek to represent as well as we can to hold the government of the day to account. This bill encumbers that ability. It makes it difficult, if not outright impossible, for members to do our job. This, Mr. Speaker, is your role. I do not suggest that this is an easy role for you to perform on a daily basis, not just in question period as we attempt to have some sort of civility and decorum, but also throughout Parliament's deliberations over important pieces of legislation.
It cannot be understated how critical this legislation is, how wide-sweeping and profoundly impactful this bill will be on the lives of Canadians, from taking $12,000 away from seniors as they attempt to retire after long service to this country and building our economy, to removing and fundamentally altering environmental legislation and gutting the protections, taking environmental assessments of major industrial projects from between 4,000 and 6,000 assessments a year to perhaps as few as 20 or 30 a year.
The role of MPs is to hold the government to account. The role of the Speaker is to defend this place and defend this institution.
If there is no, or little, link between the budget and the budget implementation act, we continue and actually aid that cynical trend Canadians feel towards their politics and their politicians. The break between who we represent and their hopes and visions for the future is more profound when governments enact bills like this.
What signal do we send to them if we say that an omnibus bill of this wide a scope and scale is permissible, acceptable and even favoured? Can we not imagine a day, and I think of Speaker Lamoureux's point in 1971, where there is no point of return, when governments seek, through omnibus bills, through Trojan horse bills, to move one, two acts of Parliament a year and put absolutely everything into those acts, that Parliament can sit for 20 days, get through 2 bills and that is it? Accountability is impossible under such a scenario, reforms to immigration, reforms to the oversight of the Auditor General, transparency and accountability.
For a Parliament to sit through two omnibus bills a year is perhaps what the government may be seeking, but is fundamentally against the spirit and nature of this place where we come together to discuss bills before the House and try to seek to improve them, amend them.
Know this, the government is suggesting that in those 400-plus pages the bill is perfect incarnate and not a comma, not a period needs to be altered. At three various times, just in this Parliament, the government has had to modify or completely scrap its own legislation when it faced evidence and pressure from Canadians. So three times on separate stand-alone bills, the government has had to fundamentally alter itself.
Last night we had our 25th vote on closure in this place since the government was elected to its majority. We now have the largest and most complex omnibus bill in Canadian history, and the lack of accountability is breathtaking. We believe that there is a very dangerous pattern of language in this. From the beginning of this process, the official opposition has attempted to work with the government to break this bill into its component parts to allow Canadians to see the aspects of the bill and understand what the implications would be, because that is our job.
From the beginning we have reached out to government and said, "Do the right thing. Split this into bills." We have quoted, and you have heard me, Mr. Speaker, quote back to the Conservative Party their own principles with respect to omnibus bills, to closure motions, to Trojan horse legislation. When they held the seats of opposition, they strongly stood for the principle that this place should be accountable to Canadians, that governments should be accountable to Canadians.
We have used their own arguments and words, not our own. We do not expect the government to be swayed by what I say here today. However, we thought that the words and principles of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages would mean something powerful enough to them that they would pause and be swayed by their own arguments and principles.
What happened to those principles? There is a certain seeking of convenience from the government, that it finds this whole process difficult or annoying.
This process that we engage in as parliamentarians is critical and essential, not an inconvenience.
We feel no remorse for the government, that it will now face as many as 500 to 1,000 amendments on this piece of legislation in the days to come. It built a piece of legislation that allows this to take place. We warned the government of this from day one and gave it an alternative.
The motion from the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands says this bill has serious flaws and contentions and undermines what this place is about. We find that she has sound reasoning in this and that as Speaker and in your role as an impartial observer and arbitrator of this place that we must have pause. We must send signals to the government from time to time that, yes, while it has the votes to do this, it does not have the moral superiority and the grounds on which to stand because Canadians did not give the current government, or any government, a mandate to do this kind of thing. Canadians never vote a government in and say that, "You will govern by fiat. You will disregard the democratic process and the open and transparent need for conversation." Because, ultimately, that is what Canadians are about: seeking consensus; seeking the middle ground; seeking some sort of way to live together as we have, harmoniously, for so many years.
Mr. Speaker, let us do the right thing. Let us make this thing a proper piece of legislation.
Bill C-38
Points of Order
10:15 a.m.
The Speaker Andrew Scheer
I thank the hon. member for his contributions to this point. I will get back to House in due course.
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
10:15 a.m.
Ted Menzies Macleod, AB
moved that Bill C-31, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, the Marine Transportation Security Act and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act, be read the third time and passed.
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
10:15 a.m.
St. Catharines
Rick Dykstra Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the bill.
Having listened closely to the previous speaker's presentation on your ruling, Mr. Speaker, I will speak to one point on the issue that relates to Bill C-31 and to Bill C-38.
There are a number of issues in Bill C-38, our budget bill, that have a lot to do with immigration. I appreciate the member's description of what the opposition's role is in terms of keeping the government to account and accountable. However, what he failed to mention was the amount of time allocated in committee for both Bill C-31 and Bill C-38. Bill C-38 was given an unprecedented amount of time for debate, more than for any other bill in recent history. The fact is that the member would not and did not acknowledge the hours and hours spent debating each and every one of these clauses at committee, which is part of the parliamentary process. He did not even want to acknowledge the time given by the government, in agreement with the opposition, to have that debate.
I have said that because we took exactly the same approach with Bill C-31. We opened the doors at committee and said that we should bring in all witnesses. The opposition members believed that this was a big, fundamental bill that would change the refugee system in our country so they wanted to hear from all the experts in the country. Even though we had gone through the entire process once already, we went through it again. I did not hear an acknowledgement from the member opposite for the efforts made in terms of our parliamentary process and listening to what people had to say, and not just witnesses but all members of the opposition who had the opportunity to present their changes, thoughts and beliefs on what the bill should look like. With respect to Bill C-31, there were two significant amendments that were made at committee. These were not amendments that had to be made. As everyone knows, there are enough votes at each of our committees here on the Hill for us to win without having to make changes, without having to do anything other than that this is what will be moved forward for third reading and this is the bill that will receive royal assent.
In our case, we heard from witnesses and we made two significant changes. One had to do with cessation. The way the clause could have been interpreted, an unintended consequence could have been the potential for that individual to lose permanent residency if the country of origin had changed status. We made adjustments to that piece of the legislation. We also made a significant change to the detention issue for irregular arrivals. The original clause included a detention period of up to 12 months. Upon hearing from experts and witnesses who presented their case, the minister and the government listened and made a significant decision. We said that individuals who arrive in what is deemed an irregular arrival, as we saw with the Sun Sea or the Ocean Lady in British Columbia, they would have a hearing after 14 days. Subsequently, if they have been determined to have or not have success with respect to their refugee application, they would be given another hearing after six months.
Therefore, contrary to what the opposition members have been saying over the last week about this government's position with respect to listening, it does listen and it has listened. Bill C-31 is a stronger bill today at third reading than when it was introduced at first reading. Contrary to what the opposition members are saying, this government does spend a lot of time listening, understanding and moving toward the best piece of legislation that we can put forward.
In fact, it speaks to our refugee system here in the country. We welcome more resettled refugees than almost any country in the world. Based on the continued implementation of Bill C-31, which encapsulates a number of pieces of Bill C-11, which was our original refugee reform act, we will have an additional 2,500 refugees per year settle into our country, which is a 20% increase.
It again shows that Canadians have always been known to be fair and compassionate. Our country has a long and proud humanitarian tradition. This bill only strengthens that tradition all the more.
However, it is safe to say that our system, and it is no secret, is also open to abuse. We see that abuse on a daily basis. We are a generous and welcoming people but we do not have tolerance for those who take unfair advantage of our country. Canadians have told us loud and clear again and again that they want a stop put to the abuse which exists within our immigration system. By introducing Bill C-31, and where we are today at third reading, we will see and have shown to those people in this country who have asked us to, that we will protect the integrity of immigration and our refugee system.
There are three main areas covered by the bill which are all interrelated.
First, Bill C-31 includes further and much needed reforms to our asylum system. While the Balanced Refugee Reform Act went a long way to reforming Canada's refugee system, further reform is absolutely necessary. The opposition likes to ask why. The answer is very simple but it cannot be found by using political rhetoric. This is all based on a very factual, necessary and purposeful argument.
We need to look at the cold, hard and indisputable facts. In 2011, Canada received a total of 5,800 refugee claims from democratic, rights respecting member countries of the European Union. That is an increase of 14% from 2010. That number is actually more than the number of claims that we receive from Africa or Asia. There is a simple problem here. The top source country for refugee claims is Hungary, which is an EU member state. Of all refugee claims in 2011, 4,400, or 18%, came from Hungary. That is up almost 50% from 2010.
What is even more telling is that in 2010, of the 2,400 claims made by Hungarian nationals, only 100 of them were actually made in countries other than Canada. They all came to Canada to make a refugee claim from one country, except 100. There is a problem here. There is an obvious issue that needs to be dealt with. It means that Canada received 2,300 claims from Hungary, which is 23 times more than any other country has received from Hungary. The fact that most gets to the core of why further refugee reform is needed is that virtually every one of these claims was abandoned, withdrawn or rejected. Refugee claimants themselves are choosing not to see their claims to completion, meaning they are not in genuine need of Canada's protection. In other words, their claims are bogus.
The reason these claims are bogus is that people are choosing to come all the way to Canada. They have a choice. There are 26 other countries right next door and most, if not all, are part of the EU. These bogus claimants come here to exploit Canada's generous asylum system because of the lucrative and expensive taxpayer funded health care, welfare and other social benefits that are allowed under the current system we have in place. In fact, these bogus claims y cost Canadian taxpayers in excess of $170 million, and that was just last year alone.
Bill C-31, protecting Canada's immigration system act, is part of our plan to restore integrity to our asylum system and restore Canadian's confidence in our immigration system. The bill would make Canada's refugee determination process faster and fairer and would result in faster protection for those who legitimately need refugee protection. It would also, and this is the important aspect of it, ensure faster removal of those whose claims are withdrawn, those claims that are bogus and those claims that have been rejected.
We will speed up the refugee claims process in a number of ways. For example, one major component of Bill C-31 is the improvements to the designated country of origin provision. This will enable the government to respond more quickly to increases in refugee claims from countries that generally do not produce refugees, such as most of those that are in the European Union. Claimants from those countries will still have the opportunity to be heard in terms of their application and to be deemed refugees in Canada.
Contrary to what the opposition has said, there is, for every person who claims refugee status in this country, an opportunity to be heard and an opportunity to have their case determined by the Immigration and Refugee Board. We will change that process so that it will take close to 45 days versus close to 1,100 days that exists now, more than on average three years to process a refugee application in this country.
If 97% or 98% of claims from particular countries are abandoned or withdrawn, we can just imagine how many months and how many years an individual can take advantage of the Canadian system just because of the number of days it takes to get through this process. This will happen no more. We will turn the system around. We will ensure that everyone gets a hearing and we will ensure it is completed within and about as close to 45 days as possible.
The designated country of origin provisions, which I mentioned and are included in Bill C-31, would bring Canada in line with its peers. Countries, like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, all recognize that some countries are simply safer than others and we can presume them to be so based on criteria, both quantitative and qualitative, that are included within the bill itself. Therefore, refugee claimants from those designated safe countries may be reasonably considered under the expedited process, the 45 day process that I mentioned.
We have had some discussion about the UN lately. I am encouraged, or at least listening, when the opposition stands to speak in favour of pretty much anything that the UN does. I thought it would be important this morning to show that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, has acknowledged that by saying:
...there are indeed safe countries of origin. There are indeed countries in which there is a presumption that refugee claims will probably be not as strong as in other countries
Mr. Guterres also agreed that as long as all refugee claimants have access to some process it is completely legitimate to accelerate claims from safe countries.
I will take that one step further. Abraham Abraham, who is the former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also is not opposed to the process upon which we have designated safe countries. He indicated:
...as long as this is used as a procedural tool to prioritize or accelerate examination of applications in carefully circumscribed situations, and not as an absolute bar.
We are not just implementing a process that is being used everywhere in a number of countries in the world. We are using a process that is endorsed and understood to be a correct one. It does not exist in our Canadian system as it is right now.
I want to underscore, despite what the opposition has said, that every refugee claimant will continue to receive a hearing before the independent quasi-judicial Immigration and Refugee Board regardless of where he or she came from. Furthermore, every refugee claimant in Canada will have access to at least one level of appeal. These procedures exceed the requirements of both our domestic law and our international obligations.
I will add this is not the purpose nor the reason for passing the bill, but there is a financial benefit to the process in which we will now receive and determine refugee applications. We will save not just federal taxpayers, but provincial and territorial taxpayers, $1.65 billion over a five year period.
How will we use that money? The premiers, finance ministers and ministers of immigration across this country will tell us exactly how they could use that money, whether it be for settlement services, or whether it be for enhancing health care delivery. What we are offering is an opportunity for savings, an opportunity for that money to be used not to fund bogus claims, not to finance those who want to take advantage of our system, but to actually assist Canadians here in our country.
Unfortunately, what is lost in debate over the bill is what it will mean for genuine refugees who are fleeing persecution and who fear for their lives. Under Bill C-31, genuine refugees will receive Canada's much needed protection much more quickly. They will not be waiting three years in the determination process, but will be waiting as little as 45 days to know that they indeed have a home here in Canada. I cannot for the life of me understand how the NDP and the Liberals could be against that process.
Bill C-31 includes tough but fair and necessary measures to combat, deter and crack down on the criminal act of human smuggling. On this side of the House, we are not scared to face the issues of human trafficking and human smuggling. We will face them like no government in this country has before, and we will continue to do that.
Until recently, most Canadians believed that large-scale human smuggling was something that did not happen here, that it was something they just read about in the paper. They thought it only happened in other countries, for example, Australia.
That all changed in 2009 when Canada witnessed the arrival on the west coast of the MV Ocean Lady, which carried 76 migrants. It was almost as if it were a test case to see what would happen when the ship arrived, because less than one year later, the MV Sun Sea came, which held close to 500 migrants. This was not a cruise ship. This was not a ship designed to hold individuals. This was a ship designed specifically by human smugglers who take advantage of these individuals and extract as much money as they can, $30,000, $40,000, $50,000, from individuals, who end up spending most of their lives paying that money back. The smugglers would put these individuals on not much more than a freighter to come across the ocean and land here in Canada.
Just as we have new members who are seeing individuals who are not true refugee claimants come to Canada to take advantage of our system, so we have human smugglers who understand the business of smuggling and the lowest common denominator in terms of which country will accept the individuals and how to take advantage of that. Not only are they taking advantage of our country, but they are taking advantage of the individuals.
We all know the stories. On board many of these ships are criminals and terrorists from a country and the human smugglers themselves who, unbeknownst to others, are dressed as if they are also in a position to claim refugee status in our country.
That is going to change. We are going to let the world know that human smuggling is not only unacceptable in this country, but that there will be a very significant price to pay for those who want to get into this business.
We do not have to look too far back to the past number of short weeks and months to know that we are catching these individuals. They are being sought out. They are being charged and they will be convicted. That is how we will stop this business.
There are so many more parts of Bill C-31 that are critically important, whether it be human smuggling, whether it be the issue of irregular arrivals, or whether it be the system itself in terms of how long it takes. We are moving from a system that takes 1,000 days on average to answer a refugee application submitted to the minister to one in which it will take anywhere from 45 days for those who are coming from designated safe countries, versus those who are coming from non-designated safe countries. There is an appeal process in place for each one of these individuals.
There is a process in place where we are now responding to those who truly deserve to be in our country. The best part of all of this is it sets in place a process that is fair to Canadians.
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
10:35 a.m.
Sadia Groguhé Saint-Lambert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. I would remind him that we heard from various witnesses in committee. They all pointed out that this bill is discriminatory because it unfairly creates two classes of refugees. The witnesses also pointed out that the measures in this bill do not target human smugglers; they target refugees, taking them hostage.
This bill will also deny some refugees the right to apply for permanent residence and be reunited with their family members, including their children, for five years. Why is the government preventing family reunification?
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
10:35 a.m.
Rick Dykstra St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Speaker, it behooves me to suggest that the opposition take one step back into the past instead of taking one step into the future. They should take one step into the past and recognized that there are individuals around the world who are fleeing for their lives. Those people can seek and obtain refugee status in our country to protect themselves, when they flee for their lives from a country that offers them nothing other than torture or death. They come here and within a very short period of time they receive an answer to the question as to whether or not they are true refugees. Under the bill, somewhere in the future, all of them would have an opportunity to have their families come to our country. Their families, if they are fleeing persecution, would also have the opportunity to seek refugee status in our country.
We are going to set in place, with the bill, a process and laws that say to human smugglers, "Not here. Not in this country".
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
10:35 a.m.
Alain Giguère Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Mr. Speaker, every legal expert has pointed out that the minister's discretionary power is problematic and should be removed from the bill. That is one of the reasons they say this bill should be withdrawn entirely. The minister will have the discretionary power to define what constitutes a safe country and to determine which countries are safe, as well as to define what constitutes an illegal arrival.
Basically, this means that, based on their country of origin, people coming here will be granted or denied status, will be found to be from safe or unsafe countries, and will be found to have arrived legally or illegally.
Is this discretionary power not the reintroduction and legalization of something much like racial profiling? When these people come here, the ones the minister finds ideologically acceptable will be okayed, while those he does not like will be declared illegal arrivals.
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
10:40 a.m.
Rick Dykstra St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his contribution at committee. We spent hours and hours, days and days, listening to witnesses and working through the bill. He was probably a little surprised that two very significant amendments were proposed by the government and were accepted. In fact, I have to thank the member. Both of the amendments put forward by the government were supported unanimously by the government, NDP and Liberal members at committee.
What we have in the bill, and it has been through the legal process in terms of understanding the designated safe country origin, is a quantitative and a qualitative analysis of how the designated safe country process would work. As good as Bill C-11 was, it lacked the accountability of how that designated safe country process was going to work. It was actually going to be in regulation. We are much more transparent in our approach to designated safe countries with Bill C-31 because the process is actually in the legislation itself.
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
June 8th, 2012 / 10:40 a.m.
Rick Norlock Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has explained in layman's terms exactly what this change in immigration policy is, but one of the concerns out there is the situation surrounding detention. There has been a lot of misinformation, most of it emanating from the other side of this chamber, but there is some misinterpretation from members of the public because of that. I wonder if the parliamentary secretary could expand on some of the issues surrounding the detention part of the bill.
Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act
Government Orders
10:40 a.m.
Rick Dykstra St. Catharines, ON
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. The detention issue has been the one which has been most significantly torqued by the opposition in terms of what it exactly means.
In our country over the last 8 to 10 years, approximately 100,000 refugees have sought and obtained refugee status. I mentioned in my speech that we have had two irregular arrivals. Arrivals such as those will be deemed to be irregular arrivals if they happen in the future. In those situations, because individuals come over in mass quantities, literally hundreds of individuals and families, we have no method to determine the identity of those individuals or whether they deserve to seek refugee status in our country.
It is important to know that when individuals are detained, they will be treated fairly. They are going to be well taken care of, but they are going to be detained until we can identify them and determine that they are not going to be a harm to Canadian society and until it is determined whether they truly deserve refugee status in our country. The opposition has failed to acknowledge that less than half of one per cent of all of the refugees who have come to this country in the last 10 years would be deemed to be irregular arrivals. Significant as it is, we can see that this is a very special process that will be used very little, but human smugglers will know it will be used once Bill C-31 is passed.


text:
By PATSY STODDARDEditor
Well, you've heard that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and in the case of Ferron these days, you're heard right. Due to the completion of the irrigation system the grass is not only greener the Millsite reservoir is higher and things bode well for the future. The Ferron project has become a showcase for similar projects.
A celebration of the completion of the salinity project was held in Ferron on June 8. The many partners involved in the project came together to celebrate a cooperative effort for the good of not only the Ferron community, but many water users down stream.
The tour began at the Millsite State Park and continued around the Ferron, Clawson, Molen area to look at the project on the ground. James Nelson and Merrill Duncan served as tour guides. Roger Barton welcomed the crowd to the event. He said it was fitting to begin the tour at Millsite where the water capacity is full now. "These are the first two years with a full water right. In the past the irrigators would water through August and sometimes into September. In 1971, Millsite Reservoir was built and extended the irrigation season. Last year the irrigators watered from April-November. Millsite holds 18,000 acre feet of water and currently it has 3,600 feet of sediment. We are trying to deal with that," said Barton.
Nelson began with some history of the area. He said the road originally went across the dam, but with the building of the golf course the road was rerouted. His grandpa came to Ferron in 1879 to farm. The old family home was built in 1895. A lot of his land was devoted to orchards and his apricots and pears won blue ribbons at the 1896 Chicago World's Fair. His grandfather was a subsistence farmer who also sold fruit at the coal camps in Carbon and Emery counties to earn enough money to pay his taxes. In the 1950s they went into the dairy business. "The former orchards are now hay and the canal is gone and we are farming that land. We were on the first lateral that went in," said Nelson.
Jed Behling told his secret for bringing a former alkali field into production. He said he pulls topsoil over the alkali and levels it and that helps take care of the alkali. Behling described the work they did in clearing the land of the many Russian olive trees, tamarisk and other invasive species. They worked to level the ground with a caterpillar and new ground has been brought into production. "It's just amazing to see the alkali spots disappear," said Behling, "It's just amazing what the sprinklers have done to force the alkali down and bring new fields into production."
The Ferron project contains seven laterals. Two of these are directly out of Millsite Reservoir and the others are fed by ponds. One of the miracles of the project is everyone can have water at the same time. No more taking turns and fights at the ditches like in days long past.
While the Millsite Reservoir is spilling the water users can use as much water as they need without it being counted towards their allotment. Any water not used while the reservoir is spilling runs into the Ferron Creek, the San Rafael, the Green and onto the Colorado River to be used downstream.
Much of the storage of Millsite Reservoir is also leased to Utah Power. Additional water storage is needed in the Ferron drainage. Plans are being looked at for raising Millsite dam to accommodate more water storage.
Duncan said, "The farmer's water goes so much farther now and the water is clear and usable." Duncan told the story of the early pioneers and how they built canals to bring the water to the farms, even attempting to coax the water uphill. The farmers would hitch a sharpened tree trunk to a team of horses and they would drag the tree trunk to create a canal. "This new irrigation system gives us control of the water, the dikes will no longer get washed out," said Duncan, "The final lateral is just now finishing up. Everyone is able to sprinkle without ever having to pump any water. Lines run south for 10 miles and north for 10.5 miles. Ponds are used to accommodate the farms on higher ground," said Duncan. He emphasized the pressure of the system which allows people to irrigate without pumps. The off farm part of the project was 100 percent paid for by grants. There was a cost share on the on-farm systems.
"The agriculture in this valley could never have reached this level without cooperation. I would like to recognize the Harward irrigation people for all they did. They helped on the farms and they are good at it. They knew how to access different companies for the pipe we needed. They knew how to match all the valves on the farms to match the valves on the main system. It took a lot of effort to make everything work.
"All of the ponds are drained every fall and each of the seven laterals to avoid any damage by cold weather. The NRCS tried to route the lines so they wouldn't generate too much pressure. Everything was looked at in an economical way. The pipe size begins with 42 inch pipe down to two inch at the end of the lateral. There are 176 miles of line laid. We started in the south and worked our way north.
"In the old days we used to line the ditches with tarps and old pieces of carpet. The school's used to let the older boys out to clean the ditches. They used to get a $1 a day to clean the ditch," said Duncan.
With the new system the loss of water through seepage is eliminated. Seepage along the ditches is estimated at a 30 percent water loss. Duncan said, "By the time the water got to the end of the ditch it wasn't wet any more." Large thunderstorms also filled the ditches with sediment. Now the farmers are in control of their water. They can even spray bug killer and fertilizer through the pivots. "It's just amazing what the sprinklers can do," said Duncan.
Tracy Behling was also instrumental in the completion of the irrigation project. He said they are looking ahead to other projects to gain additional storage for the Ferron drainage. A study is being conducted now on Millsite dam. It is listed as a high hazard dam and funds are available to revamp it. The Ferron group is pushing for an additional 10,000 acre feet of storage, but talk is of an additional 5,000 acre feet and that is yet to be determined. Behling said additional water storage at Millsite could be attractive to Utah Power as they look at whether or not to put in Unit 4 at Hunter Plant. "This irrigation project has been a win/win situation for everyone involved. Once it was off the ground everyone became involved and all the right of ways were donated. We have laid 175 miles of pipe in a cooperative effort. This was the first project where all the entities were working together.
"Most of the farms are a combination of the pivots and the wheel line systems," said Behling.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Posted by Dale's Plumbing Service on November 22, 1999 at 19:55:28:
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text:
Have I mentioned Orlando f ' n blows?ReplyCancel
Is Fallon a new site sponsor?
Not it!ReplyCancel
Not it! I hit my Fallon quota for the week. No way I'm watching his and pittbulls ballsacks in motion.ReplyCancel
The shark has been jumped.ReplyCancel
HeisenbReview: Limited Edition for Sandybrook
THIS. They need THIS!!!
That is all.
Sorry kids. I made it about half way and bailedReplyCancel
That look is distinctively a CUBA guy thing. IMO. Knida like the '70's leisure suit.ReplyCancel
Why is Lisa Simpson watching beer pong? She's underage!
Oh, and not it. I still have my "explained crazy and disgusting sex terms" pass.ReplyCancel
Orlando the place blows Violet.
I can uses those pantries right now too LadyH
I read that as panties. Where the hell is my mind right now?ReplyCancel
You were actually correct, Captain!ReplyCancel
Hey, does it make me gay that I love the show "Tabatha Takes Over" and "Tabatha's Salon Takeover"? It just seems weird I like watching a show about hairdressing.ReplyCancel
My spelchek didn't want to write what I wrote which was pantiesReplyCancel
Not since the BeeGees have white pants been worn so tight and shown so much, with so little benefit to humankind. Shovel-faced Badger, or whatever we call JF, challenges Mr Worldwide, aka Pitbull, to a beer pong match. As the two men stand up, the sight gag that we're meant to laugh at is this: JF wears tight white pants, rolled up. With matching shoes.
Mr WW, aka Pitbull, accepts the challenge but initially, at least, can't seem to land a World Cup soccer ball in a giant vat of beer-like fluid. A wardrobe change is subsequently required but not for the reasons you might think. The crowd of average middle Americans and Simpson costume characters wait patiently for five minutes for this change of clothes, which mercifully is not part of this video. PB reappears wearing white pants identical to those of his host and challenger, Shovel Face.
Fast forward: easy shots are missed, both beer pongers are found to be inadequate after all, despite having their gonads on display and a crowd to cheer them on.
Moral: whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother, you will not stay alive long in beer pong wearing white pants. Or something like thatReplyCancel
Cocoa, that was beautifulReplyCancel
But what did their balls look like, Cocoa? (Sorry guys)ReplyCancel
Lol. Fallon skeeves me out. Ever since he took his shirt off for some game a few weeks ago. He looked like a baby dipped in funnel cake batter.ReplyCancel
Good lord. My gutter brain is auto-correcting sandy's posts. Smut zen master.ReplyCancel
Cocoa: that was lovelyReplyCancel
I heart PB. He does it with humor.ReplyCancel
I watched it on TV. Only cuz George Lopez was first guest and then I wanted to give PB a chance.
ARGH. I THOUGHT I SHOULD WANTED TO CHECK FOR THE BULDGE, but, in fact, I really was afraid I'd accidentally see something. SAD THING IS, I didn't!


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only one person running can fix the economy and its not bo
Printable View
only one person running can fix the economy and its not bo
Biden must've given BHO lessons on how to act smug & sanctimonious. But like the 2nd debate, I doubt this one changed anyone's mind; just solidified the support each already had.
I think they're both bobbing and weaving about specifics on multiple issues. Obama does have info that Romney would not have on foreign policy ... O knows what O may have "under cover", which nobody else does (though it's kind of amazing that Joe hasn't leaked something!)
I do think that there is truth in peace through strength. I do think that Reagan was able to get concession from Korbachev because of Reagan's resolve to have strength that K felt was overwhelming. Every aggressive power in history has become more aggressive when in the face of weakness and backed off from strength.
Whatever the details, the withdrawal from Iraq has been chaotic and destructive. Afghanistan is not going much better. I think more could have been made of the fact that Obama's policies toward Egypt and Libya did not result in favorable outcomes for peace in the region. Romney touched on that.
I do believe that Romney's long-standing friendship with Netanyahu would mean a stronger bond with Israel. I very much liked his response to the question, "What if you got a phone call from Israel, saying they had just launched against Iran?" Romney was credible in saying, "It would never come down to a phone call like that." VERY good response in my way of thinking. Very realistic response.
Perhaps good strategy to let the 9/11 tragedy not focus the whole debate? There's a lot of stuff in the media about that allows no real response from the WH ... and is not favorable to Obama's competency.
I think it was about a draw on the debate, with some advantage overall to Obama (especially if you didn't catch to the misstatements of facts). A few one-liners from Obama, a lot of boiler-plate rhetoric that makes a good "speech". Some good responses that were quietly made by Romney (though the backbone response about Putin was a strong one).
The question would be whether Obama's performance was strong enough to be a game-changer; enough to alter the momentum of Romney's trending upward. I'm thinking it was not.
ok, I know I am NOT by any stretch of the imagination a foreign policy guru... but there is one thing that troubled me deeply during the debate last night.
BOTH were discussing the "opportunity" in other countries and saying we should "arm the opposition" so as to basically make sure things come out 'right' and ensure democracy, human rights, and religious freedom in those places.
Has that worked for us at any point?
That is why it is important to hear other views as most will just eat the crap the Dems and Repubs spew. I was listening to Potus Politics this morning on Sirius/XM. One caller said he was tired of trying to decided between a Socialist and a Fraud and was leaning toward Gary Johnson!
Was reading readers' comments on one of the websites on the debate last night.
Too bad Romney wasn't quicker on the comment about "less bayonets and horses" ... one reader's comment was, "20 Marines with bayonets in Benghazi could have been a great help."


text:
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text:
Discussion of Lucian Freud's painting newly aAcquired
by the National Gallery of Australia
and the role of the director, Dr Brian Kennedy
Radio National Arts Today 1 June 2001
Compere: Michael Cathcart
Hello. I'm Michael Cathcart welcoming you to Arts Today on Radio National. And we're at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra this morning at the end of the week in which the gallery unveiled its new acquisition - that large painting by Lucian Freud.
Let's start here in our National Gallery. The Freud painting is on show upstairs, with a very popular exhibition of paintings by Monet.
And at the moment we're surrounded by the gallery's wonderful Asian collection. We're in a room full of Asian statues and paintings and so on. And with me is a man who's had his ups and downs over the past few years - the National Gallery Director, Brian Kennedy.
Hello Brian.
Hello. How are you?
I'm in top form.
Now, you've brought me to show us one of the works that you particularly like. Can you describe it for us?
This work is a big tower. It's about six metres high. It's by one of the most famous contemporary Chinese artists - Cai Quo Xiang. Cai created for the National Gallery of Australia what he called his Crystal tower last year. He had had this plan for quite a number of years because he had about 10,000 rock crystals which he had stored in Japan. They were from China originally, and he wanted to make them into a tower.
What he's conceived for us I think is quite spectacular. It is on the one hand a stupa or temple form; on the other hand a lighthouse, or a tower. Stretching up into the galleries, it is illuminated inside. In its various stages as your eye is led up the tower, you feel that there is tremendous energy coming from it. That's exactly what Cai intended, because crystals were a great source of power in Chinese medicine. So Cai thought that with this tower strategically positioned within the gallery he'd be generating chi or energy throughout the building.
This work gives me a tremendous sense of vivacity and energy. I just find it extraordinary that an artist would make a work that is so beacon-like for the year 2000. That was Cai's idea - that for the year of the second millennium of the western view of the world, we would have this tremendous sort of energy coming from art in a national gallery.
Now, Brian, you and I are standing in the Asian Gallery, which essentially is downstairs. It's in the basement, I guess. And there's really nobody here. And upstairs they're crowding by their thousands to see your travelling exhibition on Monet - your blockbuster exhibition. It's a little bit frustrating isn't it?
It is a bit. But indigenous Australian art and art of the Asian region tends to achieve the same sort of visitation here. Only about 10 per cent of your visitors will come specifically to see these galleries, which is a lot fewer than for international art or for Australian art. Effectively it means that for major temporary shows of Asian art we will achieve about 30,000 visitors; similarly indigenous art. Australian art's anywhere between 40,000 and 60,000, and international art - anything above 100,000.
So, I think in terms of our antennae about the way Australian society reflects on Australia and where it's positioned in the world, these sort of percentages are quite indicative. It is intriguing to me, given the extraordinary beauty of these galleries. The reason they are downstairs is actually to provide even more space. I must say I find huge solace and comfort in being here.
Let's go and look at another piece. All right. We're standing in front of a large canvas. What it is?
This is a painting which I find tells a story which is very important for the National Gallery.
Art is political. But the National Gallery itself is not political, in the sense that this work of art is. This is a work by an artist called Xhang Xiaogang. And it's called Two Comrades with Red Baby. It's from the artist's bloodline series. It's an extraordinarily provocative work, but a very engaging one, which pulls you from the far end of the room.
As you look at it you see a red baby - a female - with cross-eyes, demonstrating that even in China, with its 'one child' policy, babies are not necessarily perfect.
To either side of this baby are two figures, somewhat androgynous, who are the baby's parents, and dressed in Chinese Maoist uniforms in black, white and grey. Connecting them to the baby are these little red lines. These are the bloodlines. This gives you an indication of what this very political and engaging painting's about. It's about the fact that in China with the 'one child' policy, you have the growing up of a generation which is worryingly and extraordinarily spoilt. The single children are sapping the energy in a capitalistic and consuming way from the revolutionary generation. Provocative, strong - this is a wonderful picture.
Now, you just made the little aside there, that the gallery itself wasn't political. I've heard you make that remark two or three times today. Why do you feel the need to make that qualification so clear?
Well, because I think in Australia it's quite different from other countries. Art still has the capacity to get on the front page. Now, that is wonderful. That is very attractive politically. It's useful to be potentially a football in politics. The personality of the Gallery Director can be used that way.
I think it's important to consistently make the point, however, that the reason that I am here is not because of Australian politics, or any side of Australian politics, but because of works of art. I think that it's by making that point consistently that we will continue to engage with the politics and preserve that rather fine line which people abroad find extraordinary - that we get more attention for art than they do.
A member of your board says in the Bulletin this very month, that you really haven't got a fair treatment from the press. Do you feel that yourself? Do you feel as though you're a bit under siege?
Oh, not now, no. I think I've got exactly the same treatment as most people in public positions get in Australia. Effectively at some stage you get totally beaten up. And I don't know why. But the experience is certainly chastening and toughening. If you come through that and it's still clear that you have a heart and a passion for what you're doing, you tend to survive.
I've won through that, I think, last October. But whether it's fair or unfair, I can't really judge. Whether it's an experience, I've no doubt. It's an extraordinary experience.
Well, we've just seen the launch - or the unveiling of the Lucian Freud painting. And it pulled a big crowd and it seemed to go terribly well.
But there was an article in the paper that suggested that your management style was highlighted by this. That, you know, you'd gone ahead and bought this thing without consulting with other members of the staff in a way that you might have done. Now, that's a criticism you've had to face again and again.
Well, in one sense I'd say it's the difference between management and leadership - it's the difference between a manager and a leader. But it's not actually true about the Freud.
I mean, the first thing that I did was ask Jorg Zutter, who hadn't yet even come to Canberra but was the nominated head of international art, to go and see it first, because I thought it was important to get his view. When his view was very strongly in favour of the work, then I pursued it.
Inevitably if you are given the sense of personality profile that I've been given and the attention that's applied to me perhaps as an Irishman, as somebody younger, as somebody from outside who is doing stronger and I think, hopefully significant things, but effectively taking on positions which have been long established, it's inevitable that I think questions will be raised of the kind.
Not everything goes right in an institution. We all wish that some things could have worked out differently perhaps. But I have really no issue about the way that I am. I just am a natural enthusiast and I take commitments and I take risks. I believe, with the case of the Freud, it's worked out really well.
Can you talk to me a bit about what you see as the role of the curator - because that has been one of the criticisms that's been said about you - that you're not giving due space to the curators in the way the gallery works.
Oh, that's just plain nonsense. And it's not just me saying that. I mean, the curators themselves have put up several hundred works a year for acquisition. It's very clear to anybody who looks, that it's they that have put them up, and it's I have backed them to get them delivered for display within the gallery.
I suppose the difference in one kind of director and another, is that some directors are what I would call curatorially engaged and others are not.
The difference is, one actually insists on having a role or a participation in the acquisition of works of art and is really passionate and consuming about works of art, can talk about them, but also really argue for and chase them. Another feels that that's a role one would leave to the curators alone.
I would say that's the difference largely between the administrator - the person who wishes only to administer - and those who are prepared to lead an art institution. I fundamentally believe that directors of art galleries should be art historians.
So, there's a kind of curatorial role that you've taken on yourself. And perhaps that's what's leading to the conflicts?
Well, this is an issue that's happened throughout the world, as to whether to split the director's role into a 'CEO type' and an 'artistic leader type', so that as in performing arts organisations you get the artistic director and the general manager.
This is something that's happening in galleries throughout the world. And for me - well, you can't be wonderful at everything. But I am more in the artistic director type I suppose, and I would hope that that would come through.
I think that really, on balance, the lessons of museology are that it's easier to train art historians to be administrators, than to train administrators to be art historians.
Can we look at another one of your favourites?
Good. We'll do that.
Yes. We've come to another painting here. What's this?
It's by Alfred Sisley, one of the Impressionists. He was one of the truest members of the Impressionist movement. We indeed have thousands of people going through the Monet show at the present time. Sisley was a very close friend of Monet. This particular painting is a small, really sweet landscape. It's a view which is called A path at Les Sablons, Un Sentier aux Sablons.
We're in the National Gallery of Australia talking to Brian Kennedy, who runs the place.
And that's a painting you could easily walk past and not notice. It's the very opposite of a destination masterpiece - which is a term you like. Can you talk a bit about that?
Well, it's not so much a term I like, but a term that was applied to works that we acquired, but in particular the Hockney.
There's no doubt about it, that the way to make a gallery I think, well known in terms of the public and receiving a lot of visitation, is to buy works of art which cost an awful lot of money. I suppose if they're very big and they're by artists who are famous, that adds to it as well. That gives the term 'destination painting' which is a reason to visit a gallery.
We have a gallery not yet open 20 years to the public (that'll be next year - our twentieth anniversary), and we already have a whole series of works of art which are now gathering together to conspire to make, I think, a most important institution.
So the destination is actually the building, the place. Our place has a collection which shows many media, which I think is an important part of this collection, and expresses what it means about the place of Australian art in the world. That's evident by the type of material that we have in the galleries.
So, everything that's said about me, everything said about the gallery, everything said about the work of art, the opposite could be said also. Art is full of contradictions.
Well, it sounds as though you're saying there's a degree of showmanship in this.
Well, yes. But it's a two-sided process. I mean, on the one hand we buy, let's say, a few hundred works in a year. Now, we know that the one that the press will encourage everybody to role up to see is the one that costs a lot of money. We are participative in that hype, because we have an interest in promoting something that costs a lot of money, because we have to validate that purchase. We also have to validate our curatorial taste. There is an element of conspiracy to it. But at the end of the day the works actually sort themselves out.
Today we talk about the launch of the Freud. The Hockney is now sitting back within the collection as a work that was acquired in 1998. So its hype begins to dissipate. It's just one of those things about art galleries. We just have to be honest about it and say that we need to promote what we buy. We can only promote those things that the media has an interest in. I think that's deliberately why I started in the Asian galleries today, to focus on works to which we pay too little attention.
Well, by now most of us will have seen the Lucian Freud on TV or in the newspapers. And it's a depressing and fleshy sort of painting, not a pretty work. And I wonder how this choice of yours sits with the director who first copped serious flak for turning his back on the Sensation exhibition?
The Sensation exhibition of course, was a touring show of young British artists, their work owned by Charles Saatchi. And it was controversial for such works as Chris Ofili and Elephant Dung and Damien Hirst's Shark in Formaldehyde and so on. And you - well you cancelled the exhibition - you didn't go ahead with it. Can you draw a distinction between those two decisions?
I was the person who went after Sensation. And I was the person who cancelled it. So, it can't have been cancelled because I didn't like what was in it. I actually wanted to put it on. The Freud is a tough and uncompromising work of art and it's not a work that one is attracted to as a beautiful object. It's one that you're attracted to as an engaging object and a narrative work. It's the texture and the way that it's actually crafted which is predominantly important for me, in that particular work.
All these things come together as contradictions and I wouldn't for a minute shy away from a work of art which just happened to be unpalatable to somebody - in bad taste or even obscene - if I could see the beauty in it. That was the great tragedy of having to cancel Sensation, which was about issues of commercial and ethical difficulty in America, which have since become huge issues in the museum world. These issues caused the Board of our Gallery to cancel it. I really wanted, for example, to have an artist like Chris Ofili seen in Australia.
Do I sense that you regret the Sensation decision now?
Cancelling it? Absolutely not. It was the right thing to do. It has been credited throughout the world as the right thing to do. The exhibition didn't go anywhere else after that. It caused the American Association of Museums to re-craft their Ethical Guidelines for Museums.
But it does make me question going after it in the first place. That's an issue for Australia. I mean, if the critics are going to pan you for cancelling something that you actually went after yourself, it actually makes you nervous about going after something similar in future. And I wouldn't like to feel that.
So, what I query, is whether I was wise to go for it in the first place, not whether I was wise to cancel it. If people want things and if the critics want to encourage people to take the brave decisions, well they must not drive them into the ground. I think that time will show that it was a lot more interesting and ethical story than was given credit at the time.
I didn't handle it particularly well. I'd never been under siege in that way before. I'd always been the good guy before I had to face that issue. That's what made it the hardest decision for me. I think it was the toughest decision of my professional life, so far. It was the right decision and, often times, the right thing can seem to be a bad thing for some people. The issues ethically, of the difference between the right and the good, are issues that have concerned ethicists for a long time.
Let's go and look at another piece.
Now the Play Art, which is a satire, really, on contemporary art, is about a painting that is white, with imperceptible diagonal stripes on it. We're looking at a painting - at a large canvas which is white, with some imperceptible horizontal pastel shades on it.
This is a painting by Agnes Martin. It's in that infuriating way for many people, Untitled. Agnes Martin was the Pollock of Ireland. What do I mean by that? Well, in 1973 the Pollock created a storm about what was acceptable art for Australia. During the 1970's, when a Dublin gallery tried to buy an Agnes Martin, all the County Councillors came out and said 'that's not art'. So it's the 'what is art'? question. Effectively they accused the Director of buying a white painting.
Now, here we look at one of the great spiritualists, a spiritual magician of the 20th Century, Agnes Martin. An extraordinarily quiet artist. This painting in front of me now, is a painting which invites us to ask that question of what it is to look and what it is to see? Seeing is such a prolonged engagement, in comparison to looking - we look at people all the time, but we rarely see them.
Here we see a whole series of bands in pink, yellow and blue, which are separated by white bands. The more one looks at this picture, you see first of all the blue bands seeming to come forward in your eyes. Of course, 80 per cent of your knowledge is coming through your eyes, but in reality we see with our brain. Where you actually end up with this picture, is that the charcoal lines, outside the white lines which are between the blue, yellow and pink lines, are what comes out most strongly. Now this is not just an optical effect. It's the effect of prolonged engagement.
I think this particular work, frustrating as it is and difficult as it is for our viewers, is the one at the present time within the gallery which asks the question most 'are you prepared to take the time to engage with works of art'?
Minimalism is the ultimate challenge. It asks us to look at texture. It asks us to look at colours. A black painting is never a black painting. It's a painting with maybe 40 or 50 different blacks. The longer you engage with works of art visually, the more you come to value those sort of questions.
You used the word spiritualism then. I wonder whether your own Catholicism comes into play in the way in which you relate to art. Is there a religious or transcendental dimension as an art director?
I'm sure there is. But there's a distinct difference between church, as a series of rules, church as a community, belief, faith, the spiritual and the sacred. All these different areas are quite distinct. To say that art doesn't relate to spirituality is a fallacy. It is impossible to be engaged with art and not be opened up to the broader questions of life that Paul Gauguin asked, you know - Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? - These are essential questions for us.
I've no doubt that within my own being and in the way that I was raised, coming out of Ireland, one has a predominantly poetic response. In fact one cannot help that. But it also opens you to the other side of things. I mean not just Catholicism, but anybody who's engaged with the spiritual and sees the value of individuals, realises that people have the potential to be good and bad. It is that road that we try to engage between our capacities in either direction - that art explores.
Do you have a sense of where you want the gallery to go now? Can we cast our eyes three years down the road?
I think so. I think that the gallery has now been through that very difficult period of re-engagement with its initial principles - which is about finding what it means to be a national gallery; what it means to be local, national and international; what it means to engage with different media. We have been through this re-structure of staffing and its being consolidated now. I see a key question for Australia to be the growing nationalism of the last three or four years that I've been here. This has partly been an absorption of One Nationism. I really hope that this question is explored in all the election discussions - whether Australia is intent on being an island continent, with the world around it, or seeing the map of the world with Australia in it.
As an international person - director - and as somebody who has come from outside, I see the world with Australia in it. I see a fantastic Australia, but I see the world. This is not just an issue of globalism. It's actually an issue of what is art today.
Art is a very, very broad church - to put it that way. To try and confine it to an Australian 'ism' is ridiculous. On the other hand, I see many people who are really arguing for that viewpoint at the present time. I find it very worrying. Australian art is wonderful, but it is engaged with the world. The world needs also to be engaged with it. Australian art isn't well known enough throughout the world and that makes our international dimension very important in the exhibitions we might send abroad.
So these are the type of directions I've been espousing for four years. I hope that they will come through more, in the coming years.
Now this blockbuster that you've got running at the moment. The Monet and Japan exhibition is pulling people by the thousands. I mean they're queuing - from early this morning they've been queuing through the gallery. There are queues snaking past all the other art works. What's the next blockbuster? Are you committed to this as a strategy now?
Well it's an interesting issue, isn't it? I mean, I asked the question initially when I came here, 'do we like the word 'blockbuster''? And asking the question was assumed to mean that I didn't like major exhibitions. I just didn't like the equivalence that was given by the use of a word which meant a bomb of equal tonnage, implying that for all exhibitions coming into the gallery were of equal weight.
We will have a sequence of major shows. But if I say to you that we want to do a major show of Asian textiles, because we have one of the best collections in the world, you may say 'oh that's not terribly exciting'. But it's very important.
We will have to, I think, add to these collection-based shows by adding in exhibitions at the same time, which are focussed on attracting the public. We have a series of shows now, booked to 2004, but what's more important is that the curators are feeling free and I think creative, to think about what they want to do next.
I freely acknowledge, that during the first few years that I was here, in a time of instructed re-engagement with purpose, which was what the Council wanted from me, it tended to diminish creativity, but now I think that we are all very much on board.
Brian, thanks for being my guest on Arts Today and showing me around your gallery.
A great pleasure, Michael, thank you very much.


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Broke 99 Percenter Trapped in Airport for Eight Terminal-Like Days
When Sonoma County resident Teri Weissinger showed up at the San Francisco International Airport with nothing but her luggage, a plane ticket to Idaho, and $30, she had no idea she'd end up spending more than a week there. What the hell happened?
As ABC Newsman Michael Finney explains it, Weissinger checked one bag too many and incurred a $60 fee that she couldn't pay on the spot. She hadn't expected the fees because her itinerary failed to mention them. For security/terrorist-related reasons her airline, U.S. Airways, wouldn't let her abandon one of her bags at the airport, and they also wouldn't let her pay the fees once she got to Idaho. So she missed her flight, which resulted in another fee. Then U.S. Airways told her she had to buy a brand-new ticket, which cost $1,000. And this is how she became trapped in the airport.
For eight days Weissinger wandered the corridors, slept on the floor, and generally felt like the star of a remake of The Terminal—minus the peanut can (we assume) but with some extra Kafkaesque elements (for example, she was nearly arrested for vagrancy...like being there was her choice!). She also had to be treated for anxiety. If it weren't for the generous parishioners of the Airport Church of Christ, Weissinger might still be stuck there, rooting through the trash for discarded Auntie Anne's pretzels and half-consumed soda pops for the rest of eternity. The Churchgoers put up $210 so she could cover the baggage fees and the missed-flight fee and make it to Idaho, to escape her airport jail and begin life anew (we have no idea why she chose Idaho but we respect her decision).
Since Weissinger's ordeal, some new federal rules have gone into effect that require airlines to disclose on their websites all their sneaky hidden fees. So if all you Poors out there can actually read, or do basic math, you can avoid getting trapped in your local airports. But if you can perform neither of these tasks you might actually want to bring along your peanut can so you can beg your way out of there if necessary. Just go stand by the church or chapel and hit up those bleeding hearts before they head toward the food court. [ABC]


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yes, have been through all of Arne's stuff.
Strangely, I've only ever read about problems with the Hasler-Macleod design. No windward performance when more than a few panels are reefed, it all weather vanes behind the mast. There's a chap I'm in contact with cruising the Atlantic now who also has that complaint. I'm sticking with Reddish and closely following the junks shown in Hong Kong photos on that website you posted.
My Badger hull is mostly planked. Its looking pretty spiffy at the moment.


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On my deck I have two grills, one regular charcoal and the other fueled by propane. Charcoal is definitely the way to go for the full grilled food experience. Exactly what is the true grilled experience anyway?
We should start with the appearance; well grilled food will have some "char" on the outside. Black, slightly burned and crispy. Grilling brings to mind ribs with a slight char around the edges or a steak with the beautiful criss-cross diamond shaped grill marks. This look can start your mouth watering for the feast it's about to enjoy.
Grilled flavors can be equally bold as the appearance. Common spices include, (but are not limited to), garlic, tomato, onion, lemon, orange, lime, all kinds of peppers including smoked paprika. Green spices such as oregano, cilantro, parsley (Italian flat), basil, tarragon. Seeds, whole and ground, such as cumin, cayenne, caraway, clove, fennel, mustard seed and even sesame.
To prepare your grill get a high heat going to burn off any residual food left over from the previous cooking. Then scrape the grill down and oil the surface. I'll take some canola oil in a small ramekin and fold up a paper towel. Using a long tongs dip the edge of the folded up paper towel into the oil and rub that on the hot grill. This helps make your grill clean and fairly non-stick.
Grilling is a balance between high heat, to get that char on the outside, and medium to low heat to fully cook your food. With steak, especially rare, high heat is all you need. With steak, as soon as the outside is properly charred the inside should be correct too. At least on my grills it is.
But with chicken it needs to cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, and that takes time. I always place the chicken on the grill, bone side down, at high heat and then turn the heat down. After about 8 minutes I'll turn it to skin side down, leaving it that way until I have a nicely crisped skin and then I turn it over again. Each time you turn it you can baste it with whatever you may have used for a marinade. Just be sure that after you remove the raw chicken from the marinade you place the liquid in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil for 15 seconds to kill off any bacteria. I only baste for the first half of the grilling process. All in all, chicken can take as little as 30 minutes and as long as an hour, depending on the heat in your grill and how large the pieces of chicken are.
Here's a wonderful recipe for marinated grilled chicken. It calls for the chicken to be marinated for 8 to 24 hours. You can set the chicken in the marinade the night before or at the latest at breakfast in the morning.
South American Grilled Chicken
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 lime juiced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika, feel free to use smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 chicken, cut up
Place all ingredients, (except chicken), into a blender and puree. Place liquid and chicken into a gallon size zip lock bag squeezing out as much of the air as possible. Put in the bottom drawer of your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours, turning 3 or four times.
When ready to cook prepare your charcoal grill. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off. Place marinade in sauce pan and bring to boil for at least 15 seconds.
Grill chicken starting with bone side down. When turning baste with marinade a couple of times only. Discard the remainder of the marinade and grill chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.


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Audrey Brooke Stacey Sandal
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Item # dsw12prod4180164
Glam it up in the Audrey Brooke Stacey. This satin sandal is the perfect way to put the finishing touch on your look.
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Minty Bliss
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Love the Shoe!
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Thomas, S. A., Phillips, V., Mock, C., Lock, M., Cox, G. and Baxter, J. (2009) The effects of nasal breathing on exercise tolerance. In: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Annual Congress 2009, Liverpool conference centre, 16th and 17th October 2009. Available from: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/7545
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England centre Manu Tuilagi has been given until Tuesday to prove he is fit for Saturday's opening Six Nations clash against Scotland.
England centre Manu Tuilagi has been given until Tuesday to prove his fitness for Saturday's opening Six Nations clash against Scotland.
The Leicester centre is battling to overcome an ankle injury and coach Stuart Lancaster insists he will not be given any extra time to prove he is able to take the field for the Calcutta Cup.
If Tuilagi is not ready in time, either Jonathan Joseph or Billy Twelvetrees will likely take his place in midfield.
Asked whether Tuilagi would be given until late in the week, Lancaster said: "No. You have to trust the players you have got and you have to be fair to the player.
"If he's not right to play an international game you don't pick him. It's the same for everyone. No (he will not get special treatment). You have to be fair to your team.
"We will see where he is on Monday or on Tuesday. Manu has gone back to Leicester to get some treatment. They have what is called an AlterG machine. The machine supports you in a harness and allows you to run without putting your body-weight through your legs.
"There are different options – you could put Brad (Barritt) at 12 and JJ at 13 or put Billy at 12 and Brad at 13."
Lancaster is keeping his cards close to his chest and did not give any clues to his preferred starting XV when England trained in front of 6,000 people at Headingley on Friday with both Twelvetrees and Joseph spending time running alongside Barritt.
Lancaster must also make tough choices at full-back, hooker and scrum-half.
"On the first day back in camp you could see the excitement of every player who is vying to get the shirt," said Danny Care, who is battling for the number nine jersey with Ben Youngs.
"No-one is nailed on for a start. It is great for English rugby that there is so much strength in depth.
"It is a good battle at nine. I am happy with how I have played but there is no indication yet of who will play. It keeps everyone on their toes."


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HELPER-Mariko Aoyagi, age 92, passed away July 4, 2012 at her home in Helper. She was born Nov. 10, 1919 in San Francisco, Calif. to Yasuko (Nakayama) and Yujiro Ikebuchi. Relocated from San Francisco to Topaz Internment Camp in Delta, Utah at the outbreak of WWII and never left Utah. .
Graveside memorial service will be conducted at a later date. Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home were friends may share memories of Mariko at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net.


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Mystery Snail
- Diet: Algae Wafers, Fresh Vegetables
- Maximum size: 2"
- Water temperature: 72-82° F
- Swimming level: Bottom
- Experience level: Beginner
- Tank Setup: 1+ gallons
Many fish keepers love mystery snails for their amazing variety of different colored shells and their strange, yet interesting antics. They are fascinating to watch as they come up for air and, best of all, they earn their keep by clearing up any rotting vegetation from your aquarium plants as well as algae from the glass.
Snails will adhere to the aquarium glass and crawl up the sides of the tank.
Multiplying snails
Snails readily reproduce in an aquarium environment.
Live aquatic plants arebeneficial for snails, which will graze on their leaves.
Snails can be kept in most tanks, but some gouramis, skunk loaches and other large fish may eat smaller snails.
Staple diet
Although snails will move along the surfaces of the aquarium scraping green algae with their mouths, they will also accept all kinds of commercial flake and pellet foods.
Frequent feedings
For optimum health, feed your aquatic invertebrates as much food as they will consume in 1-3 minutes, twice a day.
Vet Assured Promise
All pets purchased at PetSmart are raised under our exclusive Vet Assured program and come with a 14-day satisfaction guarantee. Vet Assured is a program designed by PetSmart veterinarians to improve the health and well-being of our pets. The program sets standards for the care of our pets by our live animal partners and store associates and establishes strict standards for the monitoring and prevention of common illnesses found in pets. PetSmart makes a significant investment in the care of our pets and it is apparent in the quality and comfort of the pets in our stores. However, if your pet becomes ill during this initial 14-day period, or if you're not satisfied with your pet for any reason, PetSmart will gladly replace the pet or refund the purchase price. Please keep your sales receipt and return the pet to the store where it was purchased if needed.
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N.Y.L.A. Darwin Wedge Sandal - Wide Width
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Item # 275656
Nothing says summer like a woven wedge sandal. The N.Y.L.A. Darwin is the perfect espadrille wedge to complement your chic warm-weather style.
- Woven fabric upper
- Ankle strap with adjustable buckle
- 1" platform, 4½" braided rope wedge
- Synthetic sole
- Imported
By: NurseMo
Location: New York
March 20, 2014
"I love this espadrille to replace the ones I needed to throw away. I love that they fit perfectly like a glove, however, I noticed immediately out of the box that there is a slit on the inner strap. I thought of returning them, but they only have my exact size available. Also the strap is short. I do not have thick ankles and the strap barely makes around to buckle. (May have tho think about returning.)"
By: Jammi
Location: Dallas, TX
March 12, 2014
Too wide
"Very cute but a little too wide."
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Location: Los Angeles
July 07, 2013
Lovin' It!
"I love the color and look of the shoes; I can pair with any maxi dress in my closet or wear it with a nice pair of capris. Very cute and stylish and I loved that it shipped pretty quickly; not a lot of waiting!"
By: Dbrck
Location: Phoenix
June 11, 2013
"I wore hese shes all of four times because they are very comfy. However I wore them to work and snap the sole came apart from the base!!! Really I was fuming, I had to run out and purchase another pair for a meeting later that after noon.!!!"
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Michael Antonio Kamari Platform Pump
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Item # 263883
Showcase your fashion flair when you slip into the Michael Antonio Kamari. This color block pump is sure to cause a stir long after you've exited the room.
- Faux suede upper
- Ankle strap with an adjustable buckle
- Round peep toe
- 1¾" platform, 5½" heel
- Synthetic sole
- Imported
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Flower Hand-Appliqué Quilts
Grow some beautiful blooms (and grow in skill, too) with these quilts showcasing hand-appliquéd flowers.
Garden Blooms
A sampler of appliqué flowers lets you practice your needle-turn skills.
Wool Flower Pillow
Make a folk art pillow using felted wool, cotton, ribbon and other embellishments.
Tulip Fancy
This lovely appliqué quilt strewn with tulips uses a starching method to flawlessly prepare the shapes. Simple machine- or hand-appliqué keeps them in place.
Hearts and Flowers Wall Hanging
This pretty wall hanging with swirling flowers and unique heart corner appliqués gives your decor a whimsical touch.
Beauty Everlasting
This gorgeous wall quilt showcases floral appliqués and pieced sunburst corners.
Rose of Sharon Pillow
This pillow offers a quick study in three Baltimore Album quilt appliqué techniques. The circular flower pattern gives a twist to a traditional feel.