A Contient of Children

If the Harper Government is so concerned about ending; violence against children, their exploitation and impoverishment, then its abandonment of the former Liberal government focus on African Aid is the biggest moral betrayl of those aims.

Because at the beginning of this century, seven years ago, one in two Africans were under 18. In other words 50% of the continent is populated by children. Many of them war children.

And as he made clear at the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday Harpers development and foreign aid focus is not Africa. He has abandoned the continent of children for a policy of neo-liberal colonialism in this hemisphere.



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Harpers Latin American Success

Remember that mission to Latin America and the Caribbean that the Harper went on in July to promote development and bi-lateral trade. He missed Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia, but made it to Chile. Looks like the mission was a success.

Scotiabank to buy major stake in Chilean bank

Of course we just lost another thousand jobs at GM in Oshawa, despite all the corporarte welfare they got and the previous cuts announced this spring.

And Stelco just got bought by U.S. Steel.While we de-industrialize while watching Canadian resource companies get sold off to foreign capital, Canadian Banks go offshore to invest.

Of course when we think of trade and development Banks buying Banks is not what comes to mind. But thanks to all those bank fees, ATM charges, and tax breaks from the Canadian Government they have excess profits to invest. Profits made off the backs of their workers and Canadian taxpayers.

Bank of Nova Scotia's (BNS/TSX) international group may have taken a back seat to its domestic cousin when the company reported stronger-than-expected third quarter results Tuesday, but it still proved there is plenty of money to make overseas.

Profits at Scotiabank rose 9% year-over-year to $1-billion in the quarter, as domestic operations rung in profits of $391-million, up 23% from last year.

The international group, for their part, turned in profits of $270-million, a 15% increase from the year previous, after Scotia CEO Richard Waugh said operations in Peru, the Caribbean, South America and Chile all reported strong results.

SEE:

Contientalism

Afghanistan or Africa

Bank Union

Left Wing Pragmatism

Banks Profit From Job Cuts

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Harpers Latin America Tour

Harper leaves on his mission to Canada's trading partners in Latin and Central America and the Caribbean. The small number of countries he is visiting shows this trips is all about being Canada's salesman for our friendly Imperialism in the region.

Whether it is promoting our investment interests in Haiti, or those of Barrick Gold in Chile, or the role of the money laundering Scotia Bank in the region. Canadian miners are big investors in the Caribbean and Latin America, and their impact on the environment leave much to be desired.

It is a natural extension of the Conservatives contientialism. They have abandoned aid to Africa, a Liberal policy, for selective aid to countries we have sent our military to, or have investment interests in.

Ironically one of the Caribbean countries we have major investments and influence in is not being visited by Harper, Cuba.

Harper's itinerary is also packed with meetings with Canadian investors in the region, and with speeches to local economists and businessmen.

In Santiago, he will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Canada's free-trade deal with Chile, tour a new Scotiabank office, and stop by the local headquarters of Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corporation, which is developing a highly controversial mine in Chile.

"It will be very disappointing if the prime minister returns from this trip and it simply has been a business-as-usual approach - of trying to sign as many new contracts as possible, slapping leaders on the back, talking about how investment is going to flow and how new commercial opportunities are opening up - without any significant attention paid to these very real human rights concerns," said Alex Neve of Amnesty International Canada.

Well Alex be prepared to be disappointed.

See:

More Munk-Key Business

Haiti Quebec's Shame

Haiti Canada's Colony

Haiti Atrocities

Canadian Imperialism

Gildan Sweat Wear

Gildan Sweat Shop Success Story

Gothic Capitalism Redux

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Venezuelan Contras

Venezuelan Contras now in Florida are teaming up with their reactionary brethren in the Cuban Contra community in developing propaganda radio broadcasts to Venezuela.

The Miami Herald's near-continuous front-page coverage of developments in Venezuela is beginning to look less like objective reporting and more like a crusade against President Hugo Chávez and his government. I'm not saying that the reports themselves are slanted, although sometimes they border on it, especially the headlines. Rather, the pattern, frequency and the way they are displayed bolsters that impression.

The American state will sanction these new radio programs while denouncing Chavez for having nationalized the telecommunications/media industry in his country. Wait a minute, state sanctioned radio versus nationalized media....

Contrary to the propaganda of the Americans, Chavez does not just intend to make these organs of the state. They will be run collectively by the workers and community.

It was clear two months ago when I was in Venezuela that if Hugo Chavez won his third six-year term in the presidency this fall, he was ready to radicalize Venezuela - and he already has. He is going to abolish presidential term limits and "deepen this revolution." He is going to nationalize Venezuela's telecommunications and electricity utilities, bring the country's enormous oil wealth under more state control, and seek new powers from his already controlled legislature to rule by decree and reform the constitution along socialist lines. Local democracy will be run by "communal councils" reminiscent of the Paris Communes and the early Soviets.

The next step of course will be a Contra terrorist campaign. No wait that already happened, and the Americans refuse to extradict the Cuban Contra Terrorist to Venezuela for justice.

See

Chavez

Venezuela

Latin America

Cuba

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