India harrowed by ‘black law’ agricultural reforms


NEHA BHATT
GURUGRAM, INDIA
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
DECEMBER 11, 2020
Open this photo in gallery
Indian farmers listen to speakers as they sit in a protest against the new farm laws on December 11, 2020 at the Delhi-Haryana state border, India.

YAWAR NAZIR /GETTY IMAGES

The protest against three big agricultural reforms in India has entered a third week, swelling into a historic, politically polarizing movement that has swept hundreds of thousands of farmers from their lands in the states of Punjab and Haryana to march to the borders of Delhi.

More than 300,000 farmers, camping along the highways at five major entry points to the capital city, have been demanding the rollback of “black laws” that were passed by the central government in September. The reforms, meant to liberalize agriculture, will allow farmers to sell crops to anyone, loosening the prevailing state-controlled market model to deregulate crop pricing, procurement and storage of agricultural produce. But farmers say the laws favour corporate interests by dismantling their bargaining power and will destroy their livelihoods. The government insists the laws are progressive and will double farmer income in two years.

Beyond the barricades put in place along the borders by the police, hundreds of makeshift tents pitched over trolleys and tractors and Sikh community kitchens have sprung up on long stretches of the highways, where the farmers gather, holding discussions and rallies, waving flags and raising slogans. “We will camp here as long as it takes for the government to scrap the laws, six months, a year … ,” said Onkar Singh, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, one of the farmer groups from Punjab leading the protest. “There is no dearth of food or blankets to protect us from the cold. It is a collective movement with support pouring in from everywhere.”

The two sides are deadlocked. At first, as the farmers crowded around the borders of the capital city last month, the police used tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse them. The farmers called for a nationwide strike on Dec. 8. After multiple rounds of negotiations, farmers’ union leaders rejected the government’s proposal to amend the laws. The farmers said they will settle for no less than a repeal and are intensifying the movement, with thousands more joining in from the bordering states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. A nationwide protest is planned for Dec. 14, along with a blockade of railway tracks.

The agitation has steadily gained national and global attention, sparking protests in several Indian cities and in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, led by the Punjabi diaspora.

Extending support, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said “Canada will always be there to defend the right to peaceful protest.” The Indian foreign ministry called his comments “unacceptable interference in our internal affairs” adding, “We expect the Canadian Government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism.”

Politicians belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have attempted to discredit the protest publicly on multiple occasions. They’ve claimed the protests have “extremist Khalistani elements” (the Khalistan movement consists of Sikh separatists), and that the dissent is backed by Pakistan and China. Sections of the media and public have been distrustful too, calling it a “Punjab farmers’ protest” and not a national issue. A delegation of the major opposition parties, meanwhile, has stepped up support to the movement, officially asking for the laws to be struck down.

“What the farmers are demanding is Minimum Support Price (MSP), or an assured price, for 23 crops to be made a legal right, said food policy analyst and researcher Devinder Sharma, referring to commodities such as cereals, pulses, commercial crops, oilseeds.

“Only 6 per cent of farmers get the minimum pricing at the moment – most of them from Punjab and Haryana. The rest of the 94 per cent of farmers are not aware of it and are dependent on private markets already. So the benchmark, which is the assured price, must have a legal stamp.”

To add to the concerns, deregulating markets in states such as Bihar hasn’t shown any increase in farmer income.

Agriculture is the largest employer in India, taking up 50 per cent of the labour force and accounting for 17 per cent of the GDP.

“The cost of agricultural production has increased, and so has farmer debt, which is why MSP is very important to farmers,” said Inderjit Singh, Haryana vice-president of All-India Kisan Sangharsh Co-ordination Committee, which represents 250 farmers’ organizations. “Though the government has said MSP will remain, the fear is that the new laws will dilute the existing model and that agriculture will be taken over by the private sector, with a corporate takeover of farm land.”

Farmers have questioned the policy of “contract farming”, wherein they will have to produce what private companies demand, which they said will leave them at the mercy of corporations. Addressing the media, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, “It is being projected that the land of farmers will be occupied by industrialists. Contract farming has been going on for long in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka,” but, he said, so far this has not come to pass in those regions.

“The farm bills are not an issue isolated to farmers,” said Preeti Sharma Menon, national spokesman for the Aam Aadmi Party, which is currently in power in the Delhi government. “Once the prices of commodities go up, it will affect all of us. The government has already sold all public-sector companies to corporates like the Adanis and Ambanis, and is now in the process of selling farmland.”

The anger on the streets, added Mr. Sharma, isn’t merely against the new legislation. “Agriculture has been deliberately impoverished and kept economically unviable, to push eople out from rural areas to provide cheaper labour in the cities. The Economy Survey 2016 found the average income for a farming family is 20,000 rupees [$345] a year. It tells you that over the years farmers have been deprived of the right price for their produce, and the anger has built up and is being channelled [toward] these central laws.”

© Copyright 2020 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.

 

INDIA
Bid to label farmers as 'separatists', says British MP Dhesi

Chandigarh, Dec 13 (IANS): British Labour parliamentarian Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who has been a vocal supporter of the protesting farmers in India, has slammed the media for spreading 'misinformation' in a bid to label protesting farmers as 'separatists or terrorists'.

The outspoken Sikh MP for Slough, who earlier wrote to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab along with 35 other cross-party MPs asking to raise the issue of farmers' agitation with New Delhi, tweeted on Saturday, "Your abuse and intimidation won't deter me from speaking the truth".



In a series of tweets, Dhesi said, "Some in the media have begun misinformation of labelling peaceful farmers, or those speaking up for them, as separatists or terrorists.

"You do a disservice to your nation and profession."

"Hater troll factory: your abuse and intimidation won't deter me from speaking the truth," he said.

He shared screenshots of media outlets that had made attempts to defame the protesting farmers.

"Can't take credit for attending a protest, let alone organising one. Please stick to the facts, rather than weakening one of the key pillars of a democracy," he added.

Dhesi last week asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Parliament to comment on the farmers' protests and asked to convey concerns about the force being used against them and a speedy resolution to the current deadlock to the Indian Prime Minister.

In a response, Johnson, who misheard the question and confused the protest with Indo-Pak dispute, replied, "Our view is that of course, we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle and I know that he appreciates that point."

In his earlier tweets, Dhesi said: "Many constituents, especially those emanating from the Punjab, have contacted MPs to express solidarity with the farmers opposing farmers Bill 2020 in India.

"Dozens of MPs duly deliberated and signed a cross-party letter, seeking justice for the peacefully protesting farmers."

The development comes as farmers, largely from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have continued their protests at the Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders.

The agitated farmers are demanding the repeal of the three farm laws passed by Parliament in September and have expressed apprehension that they would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate houses.

The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers.

The uprising of India’s farmers: The significance and history behind the worldwide protests

By Taz Dhaliwal Global News

CANADA
Posted December 12, 2020 
Updated December 13, 2020 

As a standoff between tens of thousands of protesting farmers and the Indian government continues to intensify over new legislation farmers claim will threaten their livelihoods, Taz Dhaliwal takes a look at the factors that led to the demonstrations which have garnered international attention.

Farmers in India continue to stand their ground at border points in the country.

A standoff between the Indian government and tens of thousands of farmers — who are peacefully protesting against three farming reform bills — continues to grow near Delhi.

The #DelhiChalo peaceful protests have sparked others to take place across India and other countries, with many Punjabi and Sikh farmers leading the charge on the ground locally and abroad to raise awareness about the issue.

On Sept. 20, the bills were passed into law by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“What we see in India is an incredibly powerful dominant party, like we’ve not seen since the 1970s, and a prime minister who looms large over the political landscape,” said Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky democracy chair and associate professor of politics at Ryerson University.

Ruparelia said the protests, which have essentially unfolded as a farmer’s movement, are truly “remarkable.”

The Indian government has argued the changes will give farmers more freedom, but farmers argue the new legislation will drive down their products’ prices with no safeguards to protect them against corporate takeovers and exploitation, further devastating their livelihoods.

READ MORE: Here’s why farmers in India are protesting and why Canadians are concerned

“The political side is that this government has been very autocratic in the way in which it has pushed through big reforms,” Ruparelia said.

“I should say on the agricultural side, the reforms they put through in September, there were a lot of economists and others who thought there had to be some reforms in the agricultural system, whether these are designed properly or not, is the question,” Ruparelia said.

Sixty per cent of India’s workforce is employed in the agriculture sector, but the industry only represents about 15 per cent of India’s GDP, with a majority being small scale farmers.

The concern behind the protests

Many protestors by the Delhi border points are from the states of Punjab and Haryana, which are considered India’s bread basket.
 
Although, the peaceful demonstrations turned violent when the government used military tactics to clamp down on the dissent being expressed by frustrated farmers.

Protestors have been met with water cannons on some of the coldest winter days Delhi has experienced, along with tear gas, concrete barricades, and some were even beaten with batons. Many of the farmers are also seniors.

Despite the agitation from the government, farmers remain strong in their resolve to see the bills repealed in order to protect their future.

Khalsa Aid International is a non-governmental organization that has been providing protestors with shelter, clothing, food, water, first-aid kits, hygiene products, and even fire-extinguishers at the encampment site by the Delhi border. Volunteers are stationed at three different areas.

“So our team has actually been working with the India team for several months. The protests themselves started in Punjab after these kind of three controversial bills were passed in September,” Khalsa Aid Canada national director Jatinder Singh said.

The organization said it’s deeply troubled by what its volunteers have witnessed as protestors endure the implementation of brute force by the Indian government.

“For us, it was very difficult to see the families, the elderly farmers being subjected to the water canon and tear gas,” Singh said.

“You know people often say India’s this vibrant democracy, but the only thing really vibrating were the tear gas canisters, that were being thrown at these peaceful protestors.”

Singh said he hopes the negotiation talks between the dozens of farmer’s unions and the Indian government will result in an outcome allowing farmers to be able to sustain their livelihoods.

The largest protest in human history is going on in India and we the world cannot afford to be silent.

Let’s raise our voices against violence and support equal human rights for all.#HumanRightsDay #FarmerProtests 🌾 pic.twitter.com/CMkecWa9QQ

— Khalsa Aid Canada (@khalsaaidca) December 10, 2020

He also said Khalsa Aid is not currently fundraising for the farmers, despite receiving some voluntary monetary donations from people. Singh said the donations they already received will go towards helping protestors with their humanitarian needs.

Singh said the farmers have made it clear they do not want funds to be raised for them, instead they ask that people continue to show solidarity by raising their voice and concerns over the bills.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), which promotes and protects the interests of Sikhs in Canada and around the world and advocates for the protection of human rights for all, has also expressed concern over the troubling treatment of protestors as they try to practice their democratic right to peacefully protest.

“I was particularly worried and terrified for my own family members. We actually have an uncle who’s part of a union and he’s out there,” said Harman Kandola, Alberta vice-president with the World Sikh Organization.

Kandola said this concern is due to the Indian government having a history of violence against Sikhs and other minorities in the country.

“So it’s unsurprising in some elements where there is use of violence when you’re talking about peaceful protestors,” Kandola said.

He says the protestors are simply asking to be heard, and based on his conversations with people on the ground in Delhi, many feel disenfranchised due to the barriers that have been put in their way when they tried marching to their own country’s capitol, making them feel like outsiders.

Kandola said with so much of the Indian diaspora that exists throughout North America coming from Punjab, those individuals are genuinely concerned about the well-being of their family and friends in India.


“So, when we see these farmers we see our brothers, our sisters, our family members, we see our forefathers,” Kandola explained.
TWEET THIS

“For so many of us, our families tilled the land in India. They were farmers, that is our background, and so it’s hard to disconnect from that. You’re always connected to that spirit,” he said.

READ MORE: ‘We feel hopeless’: Indo-Canadian Punjabis fear for families in Indian farmers’ protests

The anti-farm bills being protested

The first, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, will allow farmers to deal directly with corporations and private buyers.

The bills allow farmers to sell their produce outside government-controlled agricultural markets called ‘Mandi’s’, which ensured prices wouldn’t get too high.

The bill may also mark an end to a decades-old system guaranteeing minimum support prices for staple crops called an MSP.

The second law, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, deals with pricing. The bill will push farmers, corporations and private buyers to negotiate contracts. However, several farmers have voiced their concerns over not having the bargaining power to negotiate with corporate giants.

The bill also curtails farmers’ ability to challenge contract disputes in court.

And the third, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, seeks the “modernization” of India’s food supply chain by reducing stockpiling, removing commodities like “cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes” from the current list of essential commodities.

It also aims to “drive up investment in cold storages” and give farmers the “freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply” their products.

However experts have noted since most of India’s farmers are small-scale farmers, they wouldn’t have the ability to compete with corporations when it comes to stockpiling and producing on a large scale, giving rich investors an unfair advantage and an opportunity to manipulate market prices.

“With the entry of the corporate private players into this agricultural procurement and agricultural production, what they see is that they will have complete control over how much they produce and how much they’ll pay back the producers,” 

said Chinnaiah Jangam, associate professor, History of modern South Asia

 Carleton University.

Jangam goes on to say it is important to note the legitimate fear many farmers have of losing their ancestral lands to corporations, due to not being able to compete on the same level.

In some cases where debt has gotten unbearable, farmers have had to give up their lands when they’re unable to pay back their loans.

An additional concern is that these bills were passed without stakeholders being consulted or deliberation from the opposition.

“What has agitated a lot of opposition in India is precisely the fact the government rammed through these bills, these momentous bills, essentially liberalizing agriculture without any deliberation in parliament,” Ruparelia explained.

“The opposition requested these bills go to parliamentary committee for further scrutiny, the government disallowed it.”

India’s agricultural history

Although, crisis in the agriculture sector in India is nothing new as the industry has been suffering for decades.

The face of agriculture changed significantly in the 1960s, when India went through the green revolution, under then prime minister Indira Gandhi, who implemented the growth of high-yielding wheat and rice crops to address famine in the country.

The revolution marked the beginning of industrializing the agriculture sector, and introducing new methods of fertilization and the use of pesticides, and some farmers felt they had been exploited in order to produce these high-yielding crops for the government.

“One line of critique was that it lead to growing inequalities and disparities in the Indian countryside between richer farmers with large farm holding assets and a vast surplus of agricultural labour,” Ruparelia said.

Post-Green Revolution, the production of wheat and rice doubled because of initiatives put forth by the government, and the production of crops such as indigenous rice varieties and millets declined.

This then lead to the loss of distinct indigenous crops from cultivation and even caused extinction.

Fast forward to the 1990s when corporate genetically modified seeds were introduced to increase even higher yields.

Ever since then, farmers have been taking huge loans to pay for irrigation, fertilization and pesticides, but in instances where they saw no return on their investments, some die by suicide in large numbers, when they feel trapped in a cycle of debt.

More than 300,000 farmers have taken their own lives in India over the last two decades.

Suicide, along with substance abuse and the mental health of farmers have been additional ongoing concerns in the Indian agriculture sector.

History professor Jangam said in a historical sense, farmers symbolized a lot of dignity and self respect, but he said these reforms, and the decades leading up to them, have placed many in unaffordable debt, stripping them of fair prices for the crops they labour over.

Jangam goes on to speak of a time when farmers where more self-reliant, were able to take more pride in their work and weren’t on the brink of being at the mercy of corporations.

“They are the most self-respecting people, because they don’t have to work for anyone, they can just live on their land,” he said.

“This system has robbed their dignity.”

And now these protests may just be the farmers way of saying ‘enough is enough,’ as many see this most recent legislation as the straw that broke the camels back.

READ MORE: Music motivates mounting movement in India as farmers reject govt proposals

The unwavering farmer’s protests represent a symbolic fight towards salvaging their depleting livelihoods.

-With files from Global News’ Emerald Bensadoun
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Farmers' protests in India are not just about land rights. They're about our very identity

These protesters are defending their culture — and the issues they're fighting have global implications

CANADA IS HOME TO THE LARGEST SIKH DIASPORA OUTSIDE OF THE PUNJAB

Raji Aujla, Jagdeesh Mann · for CBC News Opinion · Posted: Dec 12, 2020 

Protesting farmers shout slogans as they clash with police while attempting to move toward Delhi, at the border between Delhi and Haryana state on Nov. 27. Thousands of farmers in India faced tear gas and baton charges from police after they resumed their march to the capital against new farming laws that they fear will give more power to corporations and reduce their earnings. (Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press)


This is an opinion column by Raji Aujla and Jagdeesh Mann, both Punjabi-Canadians who live in B.C. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

Over the past couple of weeks, you may have come across news stories of farmers protesting in India or local support protests in other countries, including Canada.

The farmers, the majority of whom are Sikh, have been protesting legislation in India that deregulates agricultural markets and opens them to private corporations. The farmers fear these "reforms" will lead to the eventual elimination of government price protections, which in turn will push them off their ancestral farmlands.

As descendents of Punjabi-Canadian farmers, we support this protest because the consequences of these bills are far greater than the loss of land assets. They threaten the essence of our culture and identity.

Indian farmers escalate protest against new laws with countrywide strike

To understand why Punjabi identity and culture are rooted in the land, consider Raji's mother, Gurbakhash Kaur Aujla.

She was raised on her family's land near the Himalayan foothills, as her ancestors were before her. The matriarchs in Raji's family anchored large households and worked shoulder to shoulder with the men on the family's wheat and dairy farms. For them, owning and working the land was integral to living within a culture that holds self-reliance, independence and living in tune with nature in high esteem.

After Raji's mother married, she and her husband immigrated to Canada and, like many other Sikh migrants, carried on their farming traditions. They settled in the Okanagan Valley and helped revive B.C.'s flagging fruit-farming sector, tending to orchards that grew apples, cherries and pears.

Raji Aujla at her family’s apple orchard in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. (Submitted by Raji Aujla)

These farming traditions are passed on to subsequent generations. Although I, Raji, left the farm shortly after high school, I regularly feel its absence, especially at the times of year when the seasons turn. It's a twinge that, I suspect, is similar to what my parents felt when they arrived in this country — a disconnection from the natural world where everything has its own place.

This rootedness to Earth runs deep in our homeland of Punjab, a lush, fertile, agrarian region intersected by five large river systems. Agriculture is more than a livelihood; it is the bedrock of the region's language, culture and, in our case, our religion.

Guru Nanak — the founder of Sikhism, which emerged from Punjab — tilled his own fields. Metaphors of cultivation, harvests and seasons breathe through every chapter of the Sikh scripture we follow. The coda to Japji Sahib (our morning prayer) contains a homage to nature: "Pavan Guru Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat." This translates to: "Air is the teacher, water the father, and the earth is the great mother."

CBC EXPLAINSWhat's behind the farmers' protests that are blocking highways in India

Knowing this context is crucial to understanding the depth of anguish and desperation among the tens of thousands of farmers marching on India's capital, New Delhi.

Their sense of identity — economically and culturally — is at stake.

Households in the diaspora have been glued to the news, watching helplessly as this conflict unfolds. Okanagan farmers have reiterated how crucial the land is to their sense of self.

"Their attachment to their land is nothing less than a child's attachment to its mother," said the group that organized a recent rally in Penticton, B.C.

Even now, I, Raji, identify as a farmer's daughter before anything else, accountable to land, not politics. My favourite childhood memories include working alongside my paternal grandfather and my parents during the autumn harvest.

Gurbakhash Kaur Aujla, right, and her daughter, Raji Aujla, come from a long line of farmers in both India and Canada. (Submitted by Raji Aujla)

So our hearts break when we see Sikh elders — seniors like Raji's grandfather — being attacked with water cannons, tear gas and batons while protesting peacefully in India.

These elders are the freedom riders of this protest, with little to gain personally but with everything to give to the next generation: their plots, their traditions, their humility and their centuries-old way of life that was bestowed upon them.

Hundreds of vehicles join Surrey convoy in solidarity with Indian farmers

This standoff between family farmers and multinationals in India is also a standoff between diversity and monoculture, between living locally and living unsustainably.

Our country has long protected its agricultural sector and in doing so protects its local economy. So, when you scroll social media feeds and see videos of the turmoil in India, know that this isn't a local and distant squabble. It's a global issue extending to Canadians as well.

We consume the benefits of these farmers' labour, from the cotton of our crewnecks to the spices in our lattes. Turmeric, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, black pepper, pomegranates — we have Indian farmers to thank for this supply.

This land is at the heart of Punjab's culture, and without it, Punjab's traditions are imperilled. There is no "market price" that any corporation could ever offer to adequately square the demise of these or any other family farming traditions.

Protesters gather outside India’s consulate in Vancouver on Dec. 2 to protest the proposed regulations affecting farmers in India. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Do you have a strong opinion that could change how people think about an issue? A personal story that can educate or help others? We want to hear from you.

CBC Vancouver is looking for British Columbians who want to write 500-600-word opinion and point of view pieces. Send us a pitch at bcvoices@cbc.ca and we'll be in touch.


Read more opinion and point of view columns from British Columbians

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Raji Aujla  is the founder of Willendorf Cultural Planning and Newest Magazine, focusing on better representation and inclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour voices in Canadian arts, media, and culture. Follow her on Twitter: @goodbeti.

 

TMX faces court application

Chris Campbell / Burnaby Now - Dec 12, 2020 / 12:45 pm | Story: 319126

Photo: Contributed

Dr. Tim Takaro occupied some trees in Burnaby during the summer.

A filing was submitted to the B.C. Supreme Court on Friday in an effort to stop tree clearing in Burnaby for the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

The application, made on behalf of public health physician Dr. Tim Takaro, is a “last-ditch attempt” to halt work which began Wednesday morning in a riparian zone near the Brunette River in Burnaby, said a news release. 

The court filing argues that the approval process did not consider the downstream climate impacts of the project and asks that the court set aside the injunction order protecting the TMX route.  

“The approach differs from previous legal challenges to the TMX pipeline in that prior attempts to set aside the injunction have not raised the ‘downstream effects’ of actually burning the bitumen in the pipeline, which would add considerably more CO2 to the atmosphere than the ‘upstream’ process of extracting and transporting it,” said Martin Peters, the lawyer representing the applicants.

“The court will have to re-consider issues of irreparable harm and balancing the financial interests of Trans Mountain with the harm to the planet that follows from the use of this fuel.” 

The filing was triggered by police clearing out the Holmes Creek Protection Camp in Burnaby Wednesday morning.

The area is located within a section of the pipeline route along the Brunette River that is home to endangered salmon, Nooksack Dace and other species. Five climbers, including Takaro, occupied a small platform suspended between two trees in the area in August and September.

UCP RENT A CROWD TURN ON KENNEY
Anti-mask protest held at Alberta legislature grounds in violation of new restrictions
WHERE WERE THE RIOT COPS?
CTV News Edmonton Staff
Published Saturday, December 12, 2020 

Anti-mask rally in Edmonton on Dec. 12, 2020.

EDMONTON -- Another anti-mask rally was held Saturday outside the Alberta legislature building.

Colder temperatures and provincial restrictions didn't stop a crowd of more than 200 from gathering.

Like previous rallies, there was no evidence of any tickets handed out on site.

On Friday, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson tweeted that Edmonton police do not have jurisdiction over the legislature grounds an must be invited by sheriffs to attend.

I fully agree these gatherings are disrespectful and mortally reckless at this point and should stop.

However, for byzantine reasons, the @CityofEdmonton does not actually have jurisdiction over the #ableg grounds. @edmontonpolice must be invited by #abgov’s Sherrifs to attend. https://t.co/RgQjG9SGlq
— Don Iveson (@doniveson) December 11, 2020

Earlier this week the province banned all indoor and outdoor social gatherings.

Saskatoon

'Without enforcement, there is no law': Sask. police, government urged to sanction COVID-19 protesters SO SHOULD ALBERTA

WHITE PEOPLE PROTEST NO RIOT COPS

Regina anti-mask protest planned as 12th care home resident dies and COVID-19 case numbers swell

Jason Warick · CBC News · Posted: Dec 11, 2020 

Hundreds attended this rally in Saskatoon last weekend to protest COVID-19 restrictions. A similar event is planned for Regina Saturday. Some are hoping police step up enforcement to stop these potential 'superspreader' events. (Mr. YXE/Twitter)


As the care home death toll mounts and the hospitals fill, hundreds of protesters are planning to descend on Regina to chant and protest without masks against COVID-19 restrictions Saturday afternoon.

Just like an event last weekend in Saskatoon, the Regina protest itinerary appears to violate current public health orders, including the 30-person gathering limit. Aside from the Regina attendees, caravans are being organized to depart from Saskatoon, Weyburn and other locations early Saturday morning.

And like the Saskatoon event, it's unclear whether the Regina Police Service or the provincial government plans to enforce the law through tickets, fines or arrests.

Some worry the unmasked protesters will be "superspreaders" of the virus, and the lack of strong police enforcement is emboldening them.

Criminal lawyer and University of Saskatchewan lecturer Brian Pfefferle says laws have no power if they aren't enforced. Pfefferle says he expects Regina police to be watching closely at the planned anti-mask rally planned for Regina this weekend. (Matthew Garand/CBC)

Lawyer and University of Saskatchewan lecturer Brian Pfefferle said people should not be allowed to openly defy the law without consequences, especially laws designed to protect the health of fellow citizens.

"If a law is in place, it should be enforced," Pfefferle said. "That is, at its core, the rule of law. If we have laws without enforcement, there is no law."

He said police can issue tickets, but they can also break up large gatherings. Pfefferle said Regina police may have to make some tough decisions, but they can't ignore illegal acts.

"If individuals are not charged with flouting the rules, the law has no effect," he said.

Regina cardiologist Dr. Andrea Lavoie is urging protesters to reconsider and stay home.

If they don't, Lavoie agreed with Pfefferle — the laws must be enforced to protect the vulnerable.

She said other rallies in Manitoba and elsewhere have caused large spikes in COVID-19 cases in those communities.

Anti-mask sentiment 'very similar to brainwashing,' prof says in wake of Sask. COVID-19 protest
Teens crash anti-mask mandate protest in Regina

Lavoie, who has worked long hours in Regina hospitals for months, said life has been frustrating for everyone. But endangering your family and community at a protest will make things worse, she said.

"I think we all have to band together in our aloneness and try to follow the rules as best we can so that we can prevent more people from dying or being harmed by COVID-19."

Regina cardiologist Dr. Andrea Lavoie is urging protesters to stay home from a planned event in Regina Saturday. She said a large gathering will endanger their family and the community. (Submitted by Dr. Andrea Lavoie)

Lavoie hopes news of a vaccine will give people hope and greater resilience to endure the current restrictions.

An RPS official said they've "reached out to organizers to ensure that they are aware of the public health orders," and police will be monitoring traffic safety.

"We will monitor the event and determine appropriate action, based upon all the circumstances the day of the rally."

Health Minister Paul Merriman was asked by reporters Thursday about the Regina rally and whether there needs to be enforcement of public health laws.

Merriman began by saying that "there's been a lot of rallies that have been held." Merriman then said "people have a right to express themselves," and said he hopes they'll follow the law.

A similar rally was held in Saskatoon last weekend. Saskatoon police escorted hundreds of unmasked protesters up the Broadway Bridge.

On a video live streamed to YouTube, one participant invites others to join, then pans the camera toward the police vehicles escorting the group.

"Cops are leading the march! Cops are leading the march! Anyone who's scared to get a ticket, you won't. Whooooo! Freedom!" she said.

Saskatoon Police Service Supt. Cameron McBride said in an email there is "no police response that will satisfy everyone's unique sense of justice." He said aggressive enforcement can do more harm than good.

"We cannot afford to antagonize an already emotionally charged group of people, who could turn to violence and property damage to make themselves heard," McBride said.

A police official said the investigation is ongoing, but no one has been arrested or charged yet.

Regina rally promoter Mark Friesen says the event to protest COVID-19 restrictions will go ahead no matter what police do or don't do. (markfriesen.ca) COVIDIOT

Rally promoter Mark Friesen said the Saskatoon event went well. He said Regina's will go on peacefully as planned, no matter what police do or don't do.

"If people want to exercise their rights afforded them under the Constitution, I encourage them to do so," he said.

Friesen repeated many of the claims circulating on social media about the virus, masks and vaccines. He said the public health orders violate his rights to assembly and the right to not wear a mask.

He said the rallies are safe because he's hugged people at them and never gotten sick.

Lavoie said that is not evidence. She urged protesters to educate themselves or find someone to help them understand.

Other jurisdictions have used enforcement as a staple of their COVID-19 plan. In the Australian state of Victoria, which includes the city of Melbourne, 25,000 fines of more than $1,000 each were issued. That region has now been COVID-free for 41 days and is opening its economy and lifting restrictions.

In Saskatchewan, a 12th person died this week at a single Regina care home operation. Daily case averages, hospitalizations and deaths across the province have reached record levels.

According to the latest figures, fewer than 100 Saskatchewan people or organizations have been sanctioned for COVID-19 violations since March.

Protest against mandatory masks in Saskatoon's Midtown mall shut down by police

Saskatoon police hands out first fine for Sask. Public Healt

How a team of 5 managed a 'historic' boost to Canada's domestic violence shelters

Using the power of a pre-existing network, the federal money flowed to shelters in crisis mode


Shaina Luck · CBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2020 
Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich was among a team of five people at the organization Women's Shelters Canada, which was tasked with distributing $20.5 million in federal COVID-19 aid to domestic violence shelters in the spring. (Brian Morris/CBC)


This story is part of The Big Spend, a CBC News investigation examining the unprecedented $240 billion the federal government handed out during the first eight months of the pandemic.

In the early weeks of COVID-19's arrival in Canada, Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich and her colleagues worked overtime trying to support front-line workers in a very different sort of pandemic.

They were dispersing support to shelters working against what some have called the "shadow pandemic" — domestic violence affecting women isolating in their homes with an abusive partner.

"As only five people, we were a small but mighty team," said Geiger-Bardswich, "and we could do it if we put in a bit of the extra effort."

Geiger-Bardswich is the communications lead for Women's Shelters Canada, the national network of shelters and transition houses for women and children fleeing violence in their homes.

A week after the pandemic took hold in Canada, WSC received a call from the federal Department for Women and Gender Equality. The federal government wanted WSC to distribute $20.5 million in aid money to roughly 500 domestic violence shelters across the country.

WSC is not normally a funding agency so the request was new territory for its staff. But the organization had the most complete list of contacts for shelters and the best relationship with shelter organizations across the country.

"They came to us knowing that we would probably most easily get that money out as quickly as possible," said Geiger-Bardswich.

"It was the largest amount of money we'd ever received in our bank account."
A network of contacts

Working from home, WSC staff were able to connect with shelters and make sure each organization understood what it needed to do to be accountable for the money. The application process was short and didn't attach a lot of strings to how the shelters could spend the money.

A survivor named Michelle (last name kept private) is pictured at a transition house in Langley, B.C., on Friday, February 28, 2020. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

"We wanted to do it because we knew the funding was so important for shelters. It was really important to get it out quickly," said Geiger-Bardswich.

The reason for that, she said, was because WSC knew the shelters were in full crisis mode. They needed the money as early as April.

Shelters in Quebec and those that fell under the mandate of Indigenous Services Canada also received funds, but through a different process.

Quebec's provincial government opted to manage the distribution to its shelters rather than use the WSC process, and signed an agreement with the federal government on April 21, with funds set to flow later that month or in early May.

On average, the Quebec shelters received their money about a month later than the ones in the WSC distribution, said Geiger-Bardswich.
Immediate needs

A survey of 266 WSC member shelters released in late November indicated almost 60 per cent of shelters reported calls went down in the first three months of the pandemic, but increased as lockdown restrictions started to lift.

The shelters don't believe the decrease in calls happened because of less violence in the home, but rather the opposite: women were unable to call for help or leave because an abuser was present more often. Women also reported being afraid to leave their homes due to COVID-19 concerns.

Kristal LeBlanc is the CEO of the Beauséjour Family Crisis Resource Centre, which provides emergency housing for domestic violence victims and services for survivors of sexual assault. (CBC)

At the Beauséjour Family Crisis Resource Centre in Shediac, N.B., CEO Kristal LeBlanc said it's already hard to reach victims of domestic violence under normal circumstances, let alone during a pandemic.

"Imagine if they're not able to leave the house and the perpetrator is there, they're making a phone call to us and hiding in their closet. So it becomes really difficult," she said.

Sometimes during the lockdown, staff were unable to reach victims for pre-arranged virtual appointments and were left wondering what was happening.

"We had to understand that if we had an appointment at two o'clock and that victim didn't call, something changed in that home where it was no longer safe for her to call," LeBlanc said.

"That can be really scary for us, too, because if she was at a high risk of homicide, we had concerns that, you know, was she murdered?"

Approximately half of the shelters surveyed reported more severe attacks upon those women who did make it to the shelters. Some shelters reported increases in stabbing, strangulation and broken bones.

Shelters also reported abusers were using "coercive control" more often during the pandemic; manipulating a victim by controlling their movements, isolating them or limiting their access to money.

Spending the money

Women's Shelters Canada handed out the money in two stages, with every shelter receiving a base amount of $32,000. Some shelters that offered long-term housing qualified for an additional $2,000 per long-term unit.

Money left over from the first round was divided among shelters who said the initial allotment wasn't sufficient to meet their needs. In total, about 575 shelters received between $32,000 and $90,000 each, depending on their services.

Shiva Nourpanah is the co-ordinator of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, a group of 11 shelters for women and children leaving domestic violence. (Shaina Luck/CBC)

"It was historic, where they had this money and needed to disperse it to all the shelters across Canada. It was a unique process," said Shiva Nourpanah, the co-ordinator of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia.

"We were able to do it very smoothly and efficiently, and the money did flow."

Many shelters used the money to bolster their staffing, or to find emergency housing for families who couldn't be accommodated in the regular shelters because of physical distancing.

Of those who responded to WSC's survey, 64 per cent established an isolation unit off-site at a hotel or motel. More than 80 per cent of the shelters surveyed bought new technology like tablets, phones and laptops to connect with victims.

There is more money to come before Christmas, after the federal government announced a further $50 million for organizations that work against gender-based violence. Women's Shelters Canada is responsible for dispersing $15.7 million of that, and shelters will have until the end of September 2021 to spend the money.
Provincial funding for some

Some provinces were quick to offer funding as well, said Nourpanah.

"It's a time of crisis and darkness, but I think people showed up for us," she said of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring. "So that was really good. Both levels of government and also individual people, and business community members."

But as grateful as shelters are for the emergency boost in funding in the spring and the next round of federal funding to come, they have concerns about surviving without ongoing, sustainable funding.

No shelters can hold traditional fundraising events this year. Almost 40 per cent of the shelters that answered WSC's survey reported they'd fundraised "significantly less" due to the pandemic.

A 16-bed crisis shelter in Melfort, Sask., which opened to clients in 2016. (CBC News)

"Women who have been working in this sector for 30, 40 years, they talk about not having seen this kind of attention, for which we're very grateful," said Nourpanah. "But this sector should not have been so underfunded to start with."

LeBlanc said she feels it should be a continuing federal and provincial government response, not a one-time boost.

"There hasn't really been that conversation around sustainability," she said.

"At the end of the day, if charities have to start to close their doors and shut down — much like some of the private businesses — the government's going to be in a lot of trouble," she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shaina Luck is a reporter with CBC Nova Scotia. She has worked with national network programs, the CBC's Atlantic Investigative Unit, and the University of King's College school of journalism.

With files from Karissa Donkin

NOVA SCOTIA

 Justice system is harming domestic violence victims and needs to change, says report author

Nancy Ross researched issue for two years, found hardline approach by police and prosecutors needs overhaul


Elizabeth Chiu · CBC News · Dec 12, 2020 

Nancy Ross is an assistant professor at Dalhousie University's School of Social Work. 

(Nancy Ross)

The case of a Dartmouth, N.S., woman who was jailed and put in a restraint chair by police after she didn't show up to testify against the man accused of abusing her shows changes are needed to the justice system, according to a researcher examining the response to intimate partner violence.

Nancy Ross, an assistant professor of social work at Dalhousie University, has just wrapped up two years of research into prosecution service policies on domestic violence across the country, and is now calling for an overhaul.

The need for a reform of the criminal justice system was dramatically illustrated in the case of Serrece Winter, who was arrested in November 2019 on a warrant sought by a prosecutor, and then treated like a criminal in "an abuse of power" by police, said Ross.

"It's often the people that are most vulnerable that are calling police, and yet they seem to be punished or feel punished after calling," said Ross.
Only 3 in 10 report domestic violence to police

Ross found that most provinces have adopted a pro-arrest, pro-charge, pro-prosecution policy, a hardline approach aimed at winning convictions to keep victims safe from their abusers.

The policies emerged during the 1990s, after feminists pushed politicians to elevate the widespread problem of intimate partner violence as a serious crime, she said.

Pro-arrest means that police must arrest and then lay a charge once they determine who is the "dominant aggressor" and if it is determined that harm has occurred, said Ross.

Pro-prosecution means cases are brought "to a conclusion," according to Sarah Lane, a Nova Scotia Crown attorney.

Nova Scotia's domestic violence prosecution policy was introduced in 1996, and last revised in 2003.

But after three decades, many victims aren't turning to the justice system for help. Statistics Canada found in a 2014 survey that seven in 10 victims did not report the crime to police.

"That was a disturbing figure to me, it really motivated my interest in exploring why," said Ross.

With a $150,000 grant from the federal Justice Department, she did a deep dive into whether prosecution and police responses were a barrier to victims seeking help.

Ross's research has culminated in a report that's due to be published next week.
Survivors, offenders, police and prosecutors participated

She interviewed and held workshops with more than 100 people in Nova Scotia, including domestic violence survivors, offenders, police officers, Crown attorneys, shelter workers and staff with the Department of Justice.

Serrece Winter said she shared her story of suffering violence with the hope it helps other victims leave abusive relationships. (Robert Short/CBC)

The workshops were held coincidentally after Winter went public last month with her story. The case was discussed as an example of the social inequities faced by marginalized and vulnerable people in the community.

"It demonstrated a lack of education, a lack of awareness of mental health issues, a lack of understanding of trauma and how it impacts individuals, and a lack of nonviolent conflict resolution skills," Ross said.

She also reviewed articles, news stories and government reports from across the country.

"Only one percent of the literature really supports those policies in the way they're currently developed," she said.

Adversarial court system can be traumatic

Domestic violence is similar to sexual assaults in that women are more likely to be victims, and the victim is often the only witness to a crime.

The adversarial court system compels their testimony, and can be a harmful experience.

"Oftentimes the domestic violence victim has to prove that they have been harmed, so therefore showing, demonstrating proof of the violence can be very challenging and traumatic for them," she said.

Also, under a system aimed at securing a guilty verdict, an offender is less likely to accept responsibility and more likely to minimize the harm they've caused, she said.

Winter testified in this Dartmouth, N.S., courtroom on Dec. 7. (Robert Short/CBC)

The crime-and-punishment approach doesn't take into account that while a victim wants the abuse to end, there may be a desire to stay with a partner, keep the family together, or maintain parental contact with children.

Earlier this week, Winter did testify in court against her ex, thanks to a peace bond that kept him away from her, and physical and emotional support provided in the courthouse.

Ross cited that as an ideal response within the current, limited system.

She is recommending a shift from the "one-size-fits-all" punitive system to a model that's responsive to the needs of victims who've been traumatized, and who may prioritize family while also wanting the abuse to stop.

The call for reform has been echoed by women's groups, and Winter's treatment has been a flashpoint.

Ross is hopeful her findings will spur government, police, prosecutors and community groups to come together to design a new way forward.

She's received additional federal funding to examine ways for the system to be trauma-informed and family-focused.

Based on the police officers who participated in her workshop, during a climate in which they're facing intense scrutiny and calls for police to be defunded, Ross thinks they're open to change.

"What I heard from the police indicates that often they feel quite overwhelmed and caught in a system that often dictates their response," she said.

While protecting victims remains the goal, Ross said the need for physical safety must be balanced with the "need to encourage people to reach out for help and to assure people that help exists."


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Chiu  is a reporter in Nova Scotia and hosts Atlantic Tonight on Saturdays at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. in Newfoundland. If you have a story idea for her, contact her at elizabeth.chiu@cbc.ca

Nova Scotia
N.S. poultry plant closure a blow to operators, community, and maybe Christmas turkey supply

Eden Valley Poultry is helping local producers find out-of-province processors

Taryn Grant · CBC News · Posted: Dec 12, 2020 

Six cases of COVID-19 have been identified at Eden Valley Poultry in Berwick, N.S. 

(Google Street View)


The closure of a poultry plant in Berwick, N.S., where an outbreak of COVID-19 was detected this week is a blow to operators, employees, the town and could even be felt by Nova Scotians looking to buy a Christmas turkey — but all those involved say it was the right thing to do.

Berwick Mayor Don Clarke said the shutdown has had an immediately noticeable impact on the town, causing business and traffic to go quiet.

Eden Valley Poultry is Berwick's biggest employer and the biggest customer for the town's self-owned electric utility, according to Clarke. It also draws its employees, about 450, from around the Annapolis Valley.

Clarke said the economic impact of the two-week closure isn't measurable yet from the town's perspective, but he expects that in the long-term, it will have been worth it.

"Having COVID in a plant that size with that many people in confined spaces and so on, is a serious situation," said Clarke.

"What they're doing is the necessary thing to do."

COVID-19 outbreak declared at Annapolis Valley poultry plant

Public Health ordered the closure of the poultry facility earlier this week after finding two cases of the virus among employees. Widespread testing has since revealed four more, with some results still pending and plans to re-test all employees next week.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang announced Friday the plant would have to stay closed for at least two weeks in an effort to disrupt the cycle of transmission.

That two-week order runs until Christmas day, but Eden Valley president Werner Barnard said they'll wait until the following Monday, Dec. 28, to reopen.
'Devastating' impact for the business

"I think any business that shuts its doors for two weeks has a devastating financial impact, that's a given," said Barnard.

But, he added, the nature of Eden Valley's business means the impact extends to every other business in the supply chain.

Over the course of the planned closure, Barnard said the plant would have processed more than 800,000 chicken and turkey. Eden Valley works with about 60 producers in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and has customers across the country and internationally.



Werner Bernard says Eden Valley Poultry typically processes about 400,000 turkey and chicken weekly from producers in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

Barnard said even though the plant isn't operating, there's still lots of work happening with producers, customers and other processors to mitigate the effects of Eden Valley's closure.

As the only federally regulated poultry processor in Nova Scotia, Barnard said birds that would have gone through Eden Valley will likely now be shipped out of province for processing, possibly limiting the local supply.

He called that "a blow to the community," in light of the upcoming Christmas demand for turkeys, and a concern for food security.
Employee paycheques in limbo

While employees await the second round of testing, Public Health has instructed them to self-isolate.

Among those waiting for test results is Lee Gee, who has worked at the plant for 40 years, including more than 30 years under a previous owner.

While he waits, Gee said he's being kept busy with phone calls from other Eden Valley labourers. Gee is the president of Unifor Local 2261, which represents about 360 Eden Valley employees.

"Everybody is concerned about their health … and this close to Christmas, with everything going on, with their pay," Gee said in an interview.

Eden Valley Poutry works with about 60 producers from around Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. (Mike Heenan/CBC)

Barnard said he could not guarantee paycheques would be going out as usual during the closure, but "employee welfare and financial security" were on his mind.

"Obviously this time of year it's devastating for employees not to be able to work and earn money … we're busy investigating all options but yes, the intent is to do right by the employees."

Otherwise, Gee said he was satisfied with Eden Valley's response to the outbreak, and he felt the necessary preventive steps had been taken, like scanning employees' body temperatures as they enter each day, installing Plexiglas barriers and enforcing masking and physical distancing.

Public Health says there's no evidence of community spread in Western Nova Scotia, but there was another case of COVID-19 detected in Berwick earlier this week, in addition to the cases at the poultry plant.

A case connected to the Berwick and District School meant that school closed for deep cleaning and contact tracing for several days.

Public Health has since increased testing opportunities in the area, sending one of the province's mobile testing vans and setting up walk-in testing sites.

The walk-in testing will be available at two sites in the area, beginning Sunday:
The Berwick Fire Hall (300 Commercial St., Berwick) on Sunday, Dec. 13 and Monday, Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The site will be closed between 4:30-5:30 p.m.
The Mobile Unit at the Middleton Fire Hall (131 Commercial St., Middleton) on Monday, Dec. 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Taryn Grant is a Halifax-based reporter and web writer for CBC Nova Scotia. You can email her with tips and feedback at taryn.grant@cbc.ca