BC Politics Crisis
By: Puneet Riar, Alumnus
In the last couple of months, British Columbia’s politics has been acting the way a grade seven class acts when the teacher hasn’t photocopied enough handouts and steps out to print off more – chaotic. Backstabbing, resignations and expulsions have dominated newspaper headlines across the country and it seems that this whole situation will carry on in the year 2011.
On October 7, Cariboo North MLA Bob Simpson was expelled from the British Columbia New Democratic Party caucus (he now sits as an Independent) for criticizing a speech BCNDP Leader Carole James made to the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention—and indirectly, criticized her leadership. A few days after that, on the 15th of October, the caucus (party) chair Norm Macdonald resigned from his position, the reason being that James failed to consult him on Simpson’s discipline. Following Macdonald’s resignation, on November 19th caucus whip Katrine Conroy also resigned, stating the same reason as Mr. Macdonald’s.
If this wasn’t bad enough, things really started to get worse as the days went on. Before the November 20th NDP Provincial Council (deliberative body to discuss issues within a party; includes reaffirming confidence in the party leader), the caucus revolt came to light when three MLAs (Jenny Kwan, Claire Trevena and Lana Popham) met with Carole James in Vancouver and quietly gave her a letter signed by 13 NDP MLAs—dubbed the “Baker’s Dozen”—stating that they had lost confidence in her as a leader. Ignoring this, James went into the provincial council in Victoria and managed the approval of 84% of the council, rejecting a motion for a leadership convention next year. Pro-Carole scarves were being handed out at the council, though the “Baker’s Dozen” refused to wear them to show solidarity in their dissent.
Fast forward to December 1st: leader of the “Baker’s Dozen” Jenny Kwan (Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA and one of the longest serving BCNDP MLAs) released a statement, saying that James was “dividing the party by staying on as leader” and that “under James’ leadership, debate has been stifled, decision making centralized and individual MLAs marginalized”. The statement also called for an immediate leadership convention. In response to the scathing statement, James scheduled an emergency caucus meeting for December 5th but was indefinitely postponed so private discussions could be held with the “Baker’s Dozen”. Coming out of these discussions was a statement of solidarity: if James tried to eject even one member of the dozen out of the NDP Party, she would have to remove all 13 of the members—that’s 40% of the party. Under law, these 13 could actually form their own party!
To add scandal to the situation, Kwan also condemned a “backroom deal” of former cabinet minister and party president, Moe Sihota, being paid a $76,000 salary by unions. Kwan alleged that James knew about this deal for a long time but had just revealed it to the party around the beginning of December. “There should be no place in today’s politics for such backroom deals,” said Kwan; irony in my opinion.
Taking the infighting no more, 7-year Leader Carole James surprisingly resigned on December 6th, stating that her decision had been made “in the best interests of British Columbians, who expect and deserve a functioning Opposition”. James will stay on as leader until a new leader is chosen. No date has been set yet for this.
While the NDP seems to be in the spotlight, within the British Columbia Liberals, Premier Campbell also made the headlines when he resigned on November 3rd amidst a 9% approval rating and the implementation of the HST. He will also stay on as premier until a new leader is chosen on February 26, 2011.
Barely two months ago, the NDP was revelling in a massive lead in the polls against the Liberals. In a mid-October Angus Reid poll, 49% of British Columbians would have voted NDP compared to the 24% for the Liberals. The Mustel poll out on December 17, however, gives the Liberals a five point lead over the NDP, 41 to 36. So far, candidates to replace Campbell are: former Education Minister George Abbot; former Health Minister Kevin Falcon; former Attorney General Mike de Jong; former Minister of Regional Economic and Skills Development Moira Stilwell; and the favourite Christy Clark, a former BC Liberal cabinet minister. On the flip side, no public statements have been made, but Fraser-Nicola MLA Harry Lali, Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth, and our own Vancouver-Kingsway MLA Adrian Dix are all suspected contenders of the NDP leadership.
Things like this don’t usually happen in BC. With party discipline so rigid, members of a party rarely vote on their own opinions, let alone try to boot their leader out of her position; it is really crazy for all this to happen. With both leaders soon to be gone, both parties will be able to start fresh and redefine themselves by the next election. Even so, the Liberals seem to have a slight advantage: with the BCNDP crisis, they could point out to the electorate that the party is not fit to run government if it can’t even run its own party. What the NDP party needs now is a leader that can bridge the gap between the James dissenters and supporters, whereas the Liberals simply need a leader, because at this point any one is better than “Gordo”. NDP strategist David Schreck accused the “Baker’s Dozen” and Jenny Kwan of “blowing up the party” and “destroying their chances of beating a reinvigorated Liberal party in 2013.” Within the NDP, some say that the firing of Bob Simpson was right, but I have to disagree. I believe that the opposing party to James should not be silenced. Within a democracy, questioning and disagreement with authority is allowed. It is not just the majority who matters, but the minority as well. As Edward R. Murrow’s once said, “we must not confuse dissent with disloyalty”.
Sources:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackbird_hollow/2893862600/ Carole picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/claytonperry/5145345354/ Gordon picture
GUERGIS-JAFFER AFFAIR
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 12
When the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal happened, all eyes were on the scene. Clinton was impeached in result. Yet it seems that our government will let a scandal go unpunished.
Rahim Jaffer, former Conservative MP and now co-owner of Green Power Generation (a company that promote green energy) was travelling northwest of Toronto on September 11th, 2009, when his car was stopped by a police car. The officer, who pulled him over, smelled alcohol and proceeded to search Jaffer’s car, where the officer found cocaine. Jaffer was charged with drunk driving and possession of cocaine. In addition, his licence was suspended for 90 days. Rahim Jaffer pleaded guilty on March 9th, 2010 to one charge of careless driving. His cocaine and drunken driving charges were then withdrawn and he got off with a $500 fine.
Hello again, everybody! This is our second-last part of Behind the Word! My apologies for the last part not appearing in the April issue. There was a mix-up with the layout team and it wasn’t printed. It’s still on the website, which is http://whsword.wordpress.com! Now, this month I have interviewed the Promotions team, which consists of Puneet Riar and Emily Chan! Here’s the interview, enjoy!
1. What did you think of the Word Committee when it was first started?
E: I thought that it was a great opportunity. It gives us the chance to work together and aim higher. As cheesy as it sounds, more heads are better than one!
P: When it started, I was like “OMG”. I never thought our own school would have a newspaper, but when the Word came out, I was really excited.
2. Why did you join the Word Committee in the first place?
E: Well after writing for a year, I thought it was a cool opportunity. Besides, as one of the promotions people, it’s something I enjoy and can work with.
P: I read the Word in the first couple years it started, and I thought the articles were really interesting and I really wanted to share some of my opinions with other people who read the newspaper.
NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT 2010
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 12
Remember that time in Social Studies 11, when you were half asleep, the teacher just kept droning on and on about some “The Manhattan Project” or “The Cuban Missile Crisis”? How about the whole “Cold War” thing? Do you remember what any of that stuff was about? Well, questions like those might be on your next test, so I’ll give you the answer: they all revolved around the theme of nuclear weapons; that theme also applies to the Nuclear Security Summit that occurred this past April.
“It’s impressive,” Obama told reporters as world leaders and delegations from 47 countries converged in Washington, D.C. from April 12th to the 13th for the president’s Nuclear Security Summit. The point of the summit was to “reduce the threat of having a nuclear weapon fall into the hands of terrorists” by agreeing on an action plan that ensured security for the nuclear substances of many countries so that they would not be stolen by terrorist groups. This summit is a warm-up for the conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which will be held this month in New York. In advance of the summit, the United States and Russia — which together hold 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons — signed a treaty April 8th which would reduce the limit of nuclear warheads of the two countries to 1,550 per country over seven years.
April`s Warrior of the Month
By: Emily Chan, Grade 11 & Puneet Riar, Grade 12
The moment you’ve all been waiting for, April’s Warrior of the Month! This month’s lucky winner is Franco Huang!
P: CONGRATS FRANCO, ON BEING APRIL’S WARRIOR OF THE MONTH! TELL ME, HOW DOES IT FEEL?
F: Surprised and annoyed because I have to answers these questions.
P: LOL! FUNNY GUY! SO OBVIOUSLY, PEOPLE MUST LIKE YOU. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE NOMINATED?
F: I have no clue.
P: OH COME ON, SURE YOU DO! RANDOM QUESTION NOW, IF YOU COULD HAVE THREE WISHES, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
PUSHING PAUSE ON PARLIAMENT
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 12
What’s the difference between the Grinch and Stephen Harper? Not much, except for the fact that at the end of How the
Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch decides to back out and doesn’t steal Christmas. Yet, the thieving Harper doesn’t have a problem stealing our democracy in the holiday season, and he did just that.
Though MPs were slated to return to work on the 25th of January, on December 30, 2009, for the second time in 12 months, Prime Minister Harper rang up Governor General Michaelle Jean and ordered the call to prorogue (suspend) parliament until March 3rd. This move caused the 30+ bills that were active, most of them being on the theme of crime, and committee sittings to die. Dimitri Soudas, Harper’s spokesperson, said that the suspension was sought to consult with Canadians, stakeholders and businesses as it moves into “the “next phase of its economic action plan”. Despite this, many believe that the real reasons were that this would give time for the Conservatives to appoint five new senators, and halt any criticisms from opposition parties during the Olympics. Most importantly, the suspension would kill a pesky inquiry of the issue of detained Afghans. Alarmingly, this prorogation was somewhat expected. Even within his year-end media interviews in late December 2009, Harper had proclaimed he would not rule out proroguing parliament again.
A NEW YEAR FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
By: Nikki Siu and Puneet Riar, Grade 12
That’s right! Windermere’s very first Amnesty International Club is geared up and ready to go for the New Year. For the
remaining months of the school year, Amnesty International will be focusing on a different human rights issue each month. Here are the human rights topics we will be covering for the following school year:
February 2010, Rwanda Genocide: the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda’s Tutsis and Hutu political moderates by the Hutu dominated government. Over the course of approximately 100 days, from 6 April through mid-July, at least 500,000 people were killed. (Below, right)
HOPENHAGEN? OR BROKENHAGEN?
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 12
“I come here today not to talk, but to act”. These were the words of President Obama on December 18th at the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change, yet it seemed the climate change circus - sorry, summit – running from December 7-18, was dominated by talk.
After two weeks of hectic disagreements and negotiations, the curtains fell on the $225+ million conference on December 18th with a less than ideal, US-led deal that proposed that actions should be taken to keep any temperature increases below 2°C. Additionally, the resolution called for developed and developing countries to cut emissions; countries would set their own targets and the deal would not be legally binding. This agreement also included aims to create a financial mechanism that would be able to provide $100US billion every year to the developing countries by the year 2020. The accord, as of now, is only a draft and has to be adopted by consensus by the 193 members of the UNFCCC to come into effect. If adopted, it will form the mandate to continue the negotiating process into next year and finalise a legally-binding international treaty – something that was originally planned to happen in Copenhagen itself.
January’s Warrior of the Month
By: Emily Chan, Grade 11 & Puneet Riar, Grade 12
Drumroll please! Presenting… January’s warrior of the month, Cinzia Barucci!
First of all Cinzia, congrats on becoming warrior of the month! How does it feel?
I’m really excited to be the Warrior of the Month. I really didn’t think I would ever be Warrior of the Month but I guess people actually like me.
I like you! Hahaha! Why do you think you were nominated?
I really don’t know why I was nominated. It was probably by mistake. LOL.
No! I’m sure it’s wasn’t a mistake! What are you involved in, in school? Anything outside of school?
Well, I do WCP and Prevention Education.
In Flander’s Fields
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 12
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 – 1918)
November’s Warrior of the Month
By: Emily Chan, Grade 11 & Puneet Riar, Grade 12
PRESENTING! Your November 2009 Warrior of the month: Chanel Ly!
Congratulations Chanel! You’re November’s Warrior of the Month! So, first of all, why do you think you were nominated?
C: I don’t know exactly… I didn’t even know I was nominated until I heard I won!
ARE YOU SERIOUS! It was, like, all over school! Haha! Jokes! Anyways, what kind of extracurricular stuff are you involved in?
C: Hmm… Currently, I am coordinating Windermere’s organic garden and I teach piano at elementary schools. I’m also this year’s community service liaison.
You have such an expensive name. How does it feel to be named after a high end fashion line?
C: It’s pretty handy to be named after the brand because my name would often be spelled wrong. All I have to do is refer to the brand.
JOHN F. KENNEDY: SECRETS OF A HOMOCIDE?
By Puneet Riar Grade 12
Picture this: Dallas, Texas 1963. Thousands of people line the streets, some holding signs that read “Welcome Mr. President”. Little boys on daddy’s shoulders patiently waiting for the president’s blue convertible as it turns the corner and starts approaching. The adoring crowd jumps on its feet, waving, cheering. From the president, a smile and a wave back. Suddenly, some commotion; a glint in the distance – BANG, BANG, BANG. Silence, birds fly. A body in the blue convertible slouches back; bloody and motionless. People run. Screams, confusion and chaos ensue as the blue car speeds away.
GLEE for AMNESTY!
Finally the wait is over! We know that your anticipation for Amnesty International has been increasing every minute of every day. It’s a fun and intense approach to global human rights and a great experience. As we noted before every month we will focus on a different issue. This month’s human rights topic will be on the “Rwanda Genocide”. If you are even the least bit interested on the topic or even if you just want to know what it is, please join us for the FIRST meeting on Wednesday, Nov 4th. If for any reason you are not interested in this month’s topic then stay tuned for next month’s issue. Thank you for reading and hope to see YOU soon!
Sincerely, Nikki S. & Puneet R.
Barack Attacks the Nobel Prize
By Mitchell Agostinho and Puneet Riar, Grade 12
In 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Frédéric Passy and Jean Henry Dunant for making the world a better place. On October 9th, 2009 it was awarded to Barack Obama for doing nothing. Well, it’s said that it was “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. There is little to no description, which leaves this pair of writers puzzled. Obama is the fourth president to win the award behind Wilson, Carter, and Roosevelt. Though Obama won the peace prize, we still think the shoe that Bush won was a more deserving prize. Many, many people have voiced their outrage for this victory while few have said it was well deserved. Needless to say this award came with some controversy. Let’s explore, shall we?
October’s Warriors of the Month
By: Emily Chan, Grade 11 & Puneet Riar, Grade 12
So Windermere voted, and your October Warrior’s of the Month are Kimmy Basra and Jason Dhatt in grade 12!
Here’s an exclusive interview I had with them.
CONGRATS! YOU GUYS ARE THE WARRIORS OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER! ARE YOU GUYS WILLING TO DO A VICTORY DANCE?
K: Uhhh…. NO!
J: Yeah I’ll dance! I’m a dancing machine!
LOL! ANYWAYS, WHY DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU WERE NOMINATED?
J: I think for the recycling program I lead but I’m still kind of surprised and I have a feeling that this is some kind of set up.
CONSPIRACY! NO, I’M JUST KIDDING HAHAHA! HOW ABOUT YOU KIMMY?
K: I didn’t even know I was nominated…. I guess because people felt like it…
NEXT QUESTION. WHAT KIND OF THINGS ARE YOU GUYS INVOLVED IN WITHIN THE SCHOOL?
J: I lead the recycling program at our school and am on the senior boys’ soccer team. Out of school I volunteer at RCC and play ice hockey.
K: I’m a leader of the recycling program too.
ANY HOBBIES? INTERESTS?
K: Recycling… and watching 90210 and One Tree Hill and So You Think You Can Dance! I like to read too… OH! And I like to ride my bike sometimes.
YOU READ KIMMY? REALLY?? JOKES! HOW ABOUT YOU JASON?
J: I love sports, especially ice hockey and soccer, watching the Canucks and spending time with my friends.
OH EM GEE! I LIKE SOCCER AND HOCKEY TOO! SO, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR AFTER GRAD?
J: Post secondary, work, and partying 24/7 lol.
K: Oh goodness! I want to be an elementary school teacher.
NICE! OKAY, RANDOM QUESTION: WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD? I LIKE PIZZA, BUT SOMETIMES I LIKE ICE CREAM…OR EVEN LIKE THOSE LITTLE… SORRY! I FORGOT THIS ISNT ABOUT ME. GO AHEAD J
K: OH! I know this one…BREAKFAST! I love breakfast. If I could eat breakfast all day I would. I would eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND midnight snack!
J: Pizza or Inderpaul’s famous butter chicken (inside joke) LOL!
HAHAHA! SO, LAST QUESTION AND THEN YOUR 15 MINTUES OF FEELING LIKE CELEBRITIES BEING INTERVIEWED ARE OVER! CANUCKS OR FLAMES?
K: CANUCKS
J: CANUCKS!!!
WELL, OBVIOUSLY! THANKS FOR DOING THE INTERVIEW KIMMY AND JASON, AND CONGRATS!
United Nations Summit on Climate Change
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 12
“The objective of the Summit on Climate Change, which I am convening on 22 September, is to mobilize the political will and vision needed to reach an ambitious agreed outcome based on science at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen.” – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
When you put environment and politics together, it can’t be a good thing. This was the case for the main theme of the day-long UN Summit on Climate Change. Over 100 heads of government attended the summit on September 22nd, which was intended to get all the leaders thinking on the same page before the major climate change summit in Copenhagen (the Copenhagen meeting will replace the Kyoto Protocol). Ki-moon urged world leaders to work on a draft proposal that would work with developing countries.
BANG BANG IT SHOT ME – Amnesty International
Brought to you by: Puneet & Nikki, Grade 12
Extra, extra, read all about it! Yes, for the first time in Windermere history, Amnesty International will be starting up. For those who are passionate about Human Rights and how they are being abused, and wondering what you can do about this travesty, come out and check us out! Every month we will be focusing on a different topic and a different issue. We will have hands on activities and possibly might even be able to go on a trip if we have enough members! Stay tuned for Clubs Day and come by to get more information if you are just even slightly interested. We will have a column every month from now on discussing our topic of the month, so come and join us if it intrigues you. That’s all from us, for now. Be sure to read more about us in the next month’s issue!
Beers, Barack and Racial Bias
BEERS, BARACK AND RACIAL BIAS
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 12
On July 16th, 2009 controversy surfaced when black Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates returned home to the US after a trip overseas and found the door to his home jammed. The taxi driver and Gates made an effort to pry the door open but failed. Gates then went through the back and into his house. During this, neighbour Lucia Whalen, witnessing the incident immediately called 911. (more…)
Aung San Suu Kyi
Question: Who are Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas? I think every student I ask will know the answer. Another question: who is Aung San Suu Kyi? I don’t think most students have a clue to who she is. Now after reading this much, you will probably just flip to another page, not caring who this woman is. But in my opinion, I think she should be more well-known than Nick, Kevin and Joe. So now the real question: who is Aung San Suu Kyi?
Born in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar) on June 19, 1945, Aung San Suu Kyi is a pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy (pro-democracy party) in Burma. When Aung was just two years old, her father, who negotiated Burma’s independence from the United Kingdom, was killed.
Warrior of the Month: Jason D’Souza
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 11, Emily Chan, Grade 10 & Cassandra Ly, Grade 10
Congrats Jason! You are June’s warrior of the month! Why do you think you were nominated?
JD: I was probably nominated because people were intrigued by my amazingly good looks or they rigged the election. I’m 92.5% sure it’s the second one though.
LOL! Well you won, so whatever! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
JD: Well, I have 2 legs which are nice to have especially since I love sports. I do everything around it; read, write, eat, sleep, talk, breathe. If sports were a woman, I’d marry her.
So, you were recently voted valedictorian. How does it feel to be valedictorian, Mr. Valedictorian?
JD: Becoming valedictorian was very cool, especially since I was chosen by my fellow grads and it wasn’t a random choice. It’s very humbling.
Warriors of the Year
By: Puneet Riar, Grade 11 & Emily Chan, Grade 10
All throughout the year, there have been some amazing, dedicated students. Those who possess those awesome leadership skills, those who have an exceptional community service record, or that person who is just an awesome friend or a great role model. Or maybe, even that teacher who doesn’t get mad if you chew gum in class.
Warrior of the Month Interview
By: Puneet Riar, Emily Chan
Hey Warriors! The Windermere Word just wants to thank all of you who voted for “Warrior of the Month” for the month of May. The turnout was great! We had a total of 306 voters all over the school, which are the most voters we’ve had for a single month all year!
We also want to thank everyone who went on the Word website and gave in their nominees. We received a number of nominees through the website, all deserving to be “Warrior of the Month”.
Again, the hunt is on to find June’s “Warrior of the Month”. Do you know anyone who should be commended for their leadership skills, or their outstanding community service? Or maybe just a great friend? Then start thinking of those people! The Windermere Word is going to be announcing some important dates regarding the “Warrior of the Month.” Stay tuned
Lastly, congrats again to Nam Bui who is May’s “Warrior of the Month.” Way to go, Nam!
