http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/02jain.htm
Just as the Liberal Convention is in full swing in Montreal to elect a new leader, an Indo-Canadian Liberal has muddied the water by suggesting that the community, instead of mobilising support for one candidate or another in exchange for patronage appointments or other benefits, should use their clout to have a greater influence on party's policies.
In an open letter circulated to party members, Sudkhi Sandhu from British Columbia, who's active in federal, provincial and municipal politics, reportedly says there's 'unprecedented' Indo-Canadian involvement in the eight-person Liberal leadership race that concludes in Montreal on Saturday.
'I have heard many horror stories of the promises/wish list of many prominent members in our community as rewards for their contribution in electing the next liberal leader', Sabndhu wrote. 'Some (of our people) want a (Senate) appointment; some want patronage appointments, some want staffing positions for their sons/daughters; some want to still be the next consul-general in Chandigarh'.
Meanwhile, members of the Indo-Canadian community haven't advanced a single policy resolution in Montreal that specifically addresses matters important to the Sikh community.
It's widely known that the Indo-Canadian Liberal MPs are themselves widely divided in the leadership race, with some supporting frontrunner Michael Ignatieff and others supporting former Ontario premier Bob Rae, Gerrard Kennedy and others.
Four of the eight candidates in the fray are trailing far behind and can easily be discounted as of any consequence.
Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla is National Chair of Ignatieff's campaign and she believes under Ignatieff's leadership, Liberals would soon be back in power.
On the basis of delegates counts for each candidate, it is likely that Ignatieff may receive most votes in the first ballot, but in the second and third ballots, it is anybody's guess where this frontrunner would stand.
Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal first came out in support of former minister and leadership candidate Joe Volpe. He's now supporting Ignatieff.
\"Joe Volpe continues to be my friend but on a second thought I believe Ignatieff will make a better leader,\" he told rediff.com.
Former premier of British Columbia, now Liberal MP, Ujjal Dosanjh, and former federal minister Herb Dhaliwal are supporting Rae.
Some say Dosanjh is supporting Rae because both have their roots in the NDP and both are now with the Liberals.
\"I am supporting Bob Rae not because of either my roots in the NDP or his roots in the New Democratic Party,\" he told this reporter in a telephone interview. \"I am supporting him because he can provide the progressive alternative to the right wing policies of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.\"
He said he has looked at some other leadership candidates - \"All are good candidates but I believe, if we are needed to go into election tomorrow, he's (Rae) the best experienced and he has the right vision and right policies for the country.\"
Dhaliwal said, \"I know Bob Rae. I have worked with him (as federal minister). I have a tremendous respect for him. I really know first hand the capability of this gentleman.\"
Dhaliwal referred to the report titled Lessons to be Learned that Rae wrote last year on the Air India tragedy and which was commissioned by the Federal government.
\"He did a tremendous amount of excellent work on the Air India tragedy,\" he said. \"Rae held a strong view that there should be an inquiry and that public inquiry, under chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge John Major is now in progress in Ottawa.
\"I believe Rae would do a tremendous job as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada,\" he said.
Liberal MP Navdeep Bains is supporting Gerrard Kennedy, former education minister of Ontario.
Liberal MP Wajid Khan is supporting Joe Volpe who is trailing far behind amongst eight leadership hopefuls. Rae is running second in the support of Liberal delegates.
When asked why South Asian Liberal members should support him, Rae told this reporter, \"They should vote for me because I am the most experienced and the most qualified candidate with the deepest understanding of the country.\"
He claimed, \"I think we are doing very well in the South Asian community. We have an active campaign underway with the help of a number of people. I have got a long history of involvement with the South Asian community.\"
Rae said he has taken an active interest in mediating between India and Pakistan. \"My work on Air India bombing brought me in very close contact with leaders of the Indian community,\" he explained.
The Liberal delegates, now in Montreal, will elect their new leader late Saturday or later, depending on the number of ballots.
Sukhi Sandhu and others like him want to be sure that the Indo-Canadian delegates vote from the larger perspective that would help the community bring forward policy changes in the Liberal Party, helpful to the community and to new immigrants.
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http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/02can.htm
Canada must deepen ties with India: Canadian MP
Ajit Jain in Toronto | December 02, 2006 03:40 IST
The Conservative government in Canada wants to \"significantly deepen its ties with India,\" Conservative member of Parliament Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to Peter McKay, minister for foreign affairs, said.
Obhrai delivered the opening keynote address at the day-long conference 'India Emerging - Implications for Canada' held on Friday at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa.
The conference is organised by the Canadian Institute for International Affairs.
\"I believe Canada must partner with India in support of our security and economic interests,\" said Obhrai.
\"We know as we pursue our relationship with India, we do so with a country that shares our fundamental values,\" Obhrai added.
India, he said, \"is interestingly important in virtually all aspects of international relations in the next decade and beyond (as) India's emerging global power status and growing influence on the world stage is clear.\"
Obhrai then gave some statistics on the Indian economy, like India being \"the world's 12th largest economy with its market projected to be worth $400-billion by 2010 in terms of purchasing power parity.\" He said India's growth remains robust and India's high growth means vast opportunity for Canada to sell its natural resources to India.
Obhrai in fact repeated what McKay said at the Canada-India Business Council Diwali dinner in Toronto a few weeks ago and that being challenges to India's future growth as \"foreign access to the Indian market remains heavily restricted\"; a significant challenge is \"India's poor and over-burdened infrastructure\"; and there are \"obstacles to gaining access to Indian markets\" and those obstacles being high tariff rates and \"foreign direct investment is not permitted in agriculture\", etc.
Speakers included Gowher Rizvi of Harvard University, Teresita C Schaffer, director of South Asia Program, Center for Strategic and international Studies in Washington; Devesh Kapur of the University of Pannsylvania; Kanti Bajpai of Jawaharlal Nehru University; John R Wood of South Asia Research, University of British Columbia, and dozens of other scholars.
There were a total of five sessions that covered the Indian economy, politics and society, India and the world and Canada and Emergent India.
The discussions includes topics like 'What does it mean to have an emerging India'; 'How will India behave as a major player on the world stage?'; 'India's transformation from an inward focused to an outward-looking economy that has now yielded great dividends for India'; 'What are the politics and social strengths and weaknesses in India's emergence' and 'the role of India's vibrant civil society' etc.
In terms of India's role globally, the conference discussed strategic features of India's global emergence and implications for Canada of an emergent India and its new partnership with the US.
Deepak Obhrai is a proponent of the free trade agreement with India. In his presentation, he emphasised that the Canadian Government \"will aim to establish a free trade agreement with India, and we are optimistic that we will get there\", but he conceded, \"it will require hard work.\"
He also referred to Canada's increasing needs for \"highly-skilled immigrants from India\" as \"it is beneficial to our economic growth and business connectivity\" and \"we will continue to attract the best and the brightest.\"
To his dismay, foreign-direct investments between two countries remain \"relatively small\" -- Cdn$145-million Indian investment in Canada and $204 million Canadian direct investment into India.\"
\"We can do much better,\" he concluded.
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Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....
"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"
I am not sure what you are getting at. Please post your views on the two articles (you pasted) that most of us have read in the media. Do you have an opinion?
These desi deligates have something that I (may be you as well) donot have and that is commitment , dedication and willingness to participate in this very democratic process and bring forth an agenda in what they believe.
I salute all the deligates including the desis.
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S. kanji
I may not agree with your opinions, but I will fight to death for you be able to air your views.
Umhhhhhhhhhhhhh! what a whimper all expected Michael Ignatieff to win and it turned out to be like a match between India and Bangladesh where Bangladesh comes from behind to win the match.
Who is this guy Stephane Dion ?. Never heard of him. I did love the speeches of Martin and Chrectian. What does Dion stand for and was not particularly impressed with his communication skills. Dion definitely lacks the charisma of Martin and Chrec !.(Heard this joke (?) about Chrec when he was the PM. When some one asked him why he was not attending the funeral of the former King of Jordan, he was supposedly to have responded that he(i.e., King of Jordan) is not coming for mine then why should go for his?).
I strongly doubt whether this guy can take on Harper. But once again another \"immigrant\"(Ignateiff has lived for 30 years outside Canada in US) does not get the job due lack of \"Canadian Experience\".There goes the dream of Ruby Dhalla becoming the Cabinet(any other important portfolio) minister of Canada in future liberal ministry!.
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Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....
"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"
Quote:
Originally posted by shankaracharya
Who is this guy Stephane Dion ?. Never heard of him. I did love the speeches of Martin and Chrectian. What does Dion stand for and was not particularly impressed with his communication skills. Dion definitely lacks the charisma of Martin and Chrec !.(Heard this joke (?) about Chrec when he was the PM. When some one asked him why he was not attending the funeral of the former King of Jordan, he was supposedly to have responded that he(i.e., King of Jordan) is not coming for mine then why should go for his?).
Chrectian? Who Is Chrectian?
And you put 'Martin' and 'Charisma' in the same sentence?
You did mean Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin right? Or did Canada have a cpl of P.M's that I did not know about?
Stephane Dion is a longtime Chrétien loyalist. He held Cabinet posts under both Chrétien and Martin.
You maybe proved right about Dion not being able to take on Harper though.
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Location: Canada-Glorious and Free
Posted on: 03-12-06 11:43:27
Quote:
You maybe proved right about Dion not being able to take on Harper though.
I am a PC and that is exactly what I thought about Harper when the PC and reformers voted him as the leader. I thought he did not have what it took to become PM. So politics is as unpredictable as the Ontario Lotto system.
BV
Quote:
Originally posted by Big Vee
I am a PC and that is exactly what I thought about Harper when the PC and reformers voted him as the leader. I thought he did not have what it took to become PM. So politics is as unpredictable as the Ontario Lotto system.
BV
You are right. Dion is so much like Harper...only leaner and with a french accent.
. Both were underestimated by rivals and the public in general.The battle of the underdogs coming up in spring? I'm going to work on that for my next cartoon.
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