Ottawa Star - Volume 2 Issue 3

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Ottawa Star The Voice of New Canadians www.OttawaStar.com • September 1, 2014 • Volume 2, Issue 3

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Going from reserve to recruit A culture shock for some aboriginals

By Steve Rennie, The Canadian Press

Two volunteers in traditional clothing serving classic Palestinian desserts at the inaugural Ottawa Palestine Festival. Story on Page 4.

Photo: Anaïs Lynn Voski

Ontario’s Court of Appeal upholds oath of citizenship ruling

By Abdul Latheef, The Canadian Press

T

ORONTO—Citing the “symbolic’’ nature of the citizenship oath, Ontario’s top court has dismissed a constitutional challenge by three permanent residents who claim swearing allegiance to the Queen is discriminatory and unjust.

The trio had argued that the provision in the Citizenship Act that requires

would-be citizens to swear to be “faithful and bear true allegiance to Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors,’’ violates the Charts of Rights and Freedoms.

Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Karen Weiler ruled on Aug. 13 that the appellants’ claims were based “on their misconception’’ of the meaning of the oath to the Queen as an individual.

“The oath to the Queen of Canada is an oath to our form of government, as symbolized by the Queen as the apex of our Canadian parliamentary system of constitutional monarchy,’’ Weiler wrote in her decision.

“Applying a purposive and progressive approach to the wording of the oath, with regard to its history in Canada and the evolution of our country, leads to the Continued on page 9

Average Missing, murdered aboriginal women not just cost to raise a police issue: police chiefs a child in the US tops $245,000

By Dene Moore, The Canadian Press

VICTORIA—The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police are not endorsing a public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women, saying such an exercise would only delay action.

Instead, the nation’s top cops called on all levels of government on August 26 to take immediate action to address the underlying issues that lead aboriginal women to be vulnerable to crime and violence.

“Yes, a national inquiry may shed

some light on this, but as Canadian chiefs, we don’t want to delay action,’’ Saskatoon Police Chief Clive Weighill, the newly elected president of the organization, said at the group’s annual meeting in Victoria.

“We know what the problems are.

The aboriginal population in Canada knows and I think most Canadians know what the issues are. Let’s get on with it.’’

Aboriginal groups have repeatedly called for a public inquiry for at least a couple of years.

WASHINGTON—A child born in 2013 will cost a middle-income American family an average of $245,340 until he or she becomes an adult, with families living in the Northeast taking

Continued on page 11

Continued on page 14

By The Associated Press

OTTAWA—The move from small and isolated communities to larger urban centres can be quite jarring for aboriginals who join the Canadian Armed Forces, says a newly released document.

Being so far away from their families brought some aboriginal recruits to tears, says an internal study, while others got sick on the kinds of food served in mess halls.

The culture shock of going from reserve to recruit is one of the biggest challenges the military must contend with as it competes with other employers to hire aboriginals, one of the fastest-growing segments of Canada’s workforce.

Aboriginals were surveyed about how they adjusted to urban life after they joined the military. The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the findings, published this past June, under the Access to Information Act. Some found it overwhelming to manage their schedules and pay their bills.

Others complained about the rigour of military life, or switching from diets consisting of fresh caribou and char to standard mess-hall fare.

Feeling as though they had lost touch with their culture was another concern to many of the people surveyed.

“They reported having had negative perceptions of the city, the main reasons being that they felt lost, disconnected from their culture and had more difficulty building trust and friendships with people in the city,’’ the report says.

“They also believed that the city is a hotbed of drugs, alcohol and violence.’’

Continued on page 10

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Community

PAGE 2 • www.OttawaStar.com

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Baljit Nagpal: Still taking requests

By Ellen O’Connor

I

t was 1980 and the beginning of his post-grad working life, when Baljit Nagpal had a vision to produce the first Canadian radio program driven by the musical requests of his listeners.

Now 35 years later, Nagpal is still behind the mic and taking requests from listeners across the National Capital Region as he spins out favourite Indian music from the classics to popular Bhangra and Bollywood on his program, Aap Ki Farmaish.

Meaning “your request,” Aap Ki Farmaish is broadcast on CKCU 93.1 FM every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., and on the last Tuesday of the month from 7 to 10 p.m. with co-hosts Ved Mohan, Suraj Harish, Rohini and Ajitpal Dhaliwal. Nagpal’s goal is to bring the community together, young and old, through music from all regions of India.

“The feedback that I get is people want to listen to older songs and because those people that migrated here in the ‘60s and ‘70s want to listen to that music,” explained Nagpal who hosts his show in English and Hindi.

“I want to play music for the young and the old so what I do is I blend my music in such a way that I play some old music, 60s and 70s music and the latest ones to keep the trend going. There have been a lot of immigrants coming from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and all these people want to hear Bollywood news and listen to the new songs.”

The Ottawa host got his first taste of the radio business in 1975 while volunteering with Dr. Harsha Dehejia, who

pioneered the first Indian radio program in Canada called “An Indian Morning.”

While Dehejia played some Bollywood songs, he focused more on classical and religious/cultural music. During this time Nagpal began receiving feedback requesting more Bollywood music.

“The [Bollywood] movies were going on and people wanted to listen to more of the music, so that was when I put in a request with the station to see if I could have another show,” he said. Aap Ki Farmaish began as a half-hour show at 11 a.m. and about four years later became what it is today.

Along with taking music requests, the commercial-free program features interviews and promotes local talent and events.

Nagpal is also one of the first to know when the newest Bollywood movies are coming to Ottawa and frequently gives away tickets for movies that run at Cineplex Theatres.

Nagpal’s passion for music and Bollywood dates back to his years at the University of Ottawa. A student in Bachelor of Science program with a specialization in Computer Science, he was also President of the India Students Association in 1973 and instrumental in bringing Bollywood entertainment to Ottawa through movies and live shows featuring renowned Bollywood artists.

After graduating, Nagpal continued to bring live shows and Bollywood movies to Ottawa, earning the title of “Bollywood King.”

“Until about 2002 or 2003, I showed top notch movies. The last movie I showed was Devdas, which was a super hit. Devdas was also the first movie shown in the Cineplex network outside of our private network,” said Nagpal.

Although impressive, the “Bollywood King” was just one of many titles Nagpal

Baljit Nagpal.

Photo: Ellen O’Connor

held over his lifetime, which included positions at Bell Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and a professor at Algonquin College and Carleton University.

Nagpal’s dream to work in foreign affairs and serve Canada abroad came true when he began his career with the Canadian International Development Agency in 1991.

From the late ‘90s until he retired from CIDA in 2011, Nagpal was a Canadian Diplomat in Ghana (1998-2001), and Islamabad (2003-2005), and worked in collaboration with India and China on development projects.

Throughout his entire career and now into retirement, he always made time to share his love of music with the community. Although there are more

Indian radio programs on air now then when he started, he notes that competition is good and he feels confident in what he brings forth from the depths of his musical collection to the ears of his listeners.

“The music is all there and everybody plays it, but which song you select to play on the program is what I feel I’ve developed over time from my experience and knowledge. That’s the only advantage I have – I spend some time to listen to the music before I play it.”

Visit www.farmaish931fm.com/ and tune in to CKCU 93.1 FM to listen to Aap Ki Farmaish from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesday night; 7-10 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month. Music requests can be sent to farmaish@hotmail.com or call the radio station at 613-520-2528.

Perariyathavar debuts at Montreal Film Festival

By Staff Reporter

Ottawa’s Biju George with director Dr. Bijukumar Damodaran. Photo: G. Satheesh

One of the big winners at India’s National Film Awards 2014 made its Canadian debut at the Montreal World Film Festival this August.

Perariyathavar, which means Names Unknown, is a Malayalam film that tells the story of the marginalized people living in the province of Kerala, India, through the eyes of a street sweeper and his 8-year-old son.

The father and his friend Chami, a fellow sweeper from a tribal community, collect garbage from the city streets and travel to a rural village where it is dumped.

Accompanied by his son on their travels to the dump, they come across many nameless and faceless marginalized people, like themselves, living in the streets.

The screening for Perariyathavar was held August 27, 28 and 29 at the Montreal film festival.

The film is directed by Bijukumar Damodaran, best known as Dr. Biju, and produced by K. Anilkumar under Ambalakkara Global Films. Dr. Biju is a selftaught filmmaker and director who works in Malayalam cinema and has had his films screened at many prestigious international film festivals in more than 50 countries. He is also a homoeopathic doctor.

The plot for Perariyathavar is based on the socially and economically marginalized people living in Kerala and the incidents they have occurred there in the past 15 years, said Dr. Biju. As the name suggests, the film’s focus is on the nameless characters that are ignored by main-

stream society and the government, yet form the backdrop of the city.

Perariyathavar won the National Film Award for the Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation and the National Film Award for Best Actor for Suraj Venjaramoodu’s performance as the father in the film.

Dr. Biju made his directorial debut with his film Saira (2005), which was the opening film in the Cinema of the World section at Cannes Film Festival in 2007. His other films include, Raman, selected at Cairo Film Festival in 2009; Veettilekkulla Vazhi (The Way Home), which received the Silver Lotus, India’s National Film Award for Best Malayalam Region Film in 2010; Akashathinte Niram (Color Of Sky), which premiered at Shanghai Film Festival in 2012.

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Community

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 3

“Ottawans live a day the Greek way”

By Amanda Dickerson

T

his year’s Ottawa’s Greek Festival proved to be a colourful and culture-filled experience for all those who visited the Hellenic Community Centre between August 14 and 23.

Despite several days of rain and cooler weather, the city’s outdoor 11-day festival gave their guests the chance to “Live a day the Greek way” by diving into several different aspects of Greek culture.

A variety of Greek delicacies had guests lined up down Prince of Wales Drive for a taste of authentic cuisine, which included lamb cooked on a spit, souvlaki, moussaka, gyro and loukoumades, the famous Greek honey balls.

The festival was made possible in part with the help of over 300 volunteers who prepared and cooked the food onsite for thousands to enjoy.

“It comes down to giving people the chance to experience Greek hospitality,” said Costa Koskoletos, manager of the Hellenic Community Centre. “Hospitality is very important in our culture and we believe in treating our guests in the best way possible.”

Each night the festival was brought to life with a crowd-favourite, The Zorba show. This cultural symbol of Greek dancing and acrobatics captivated large audiences in front of the main stage.

A ring of fire lit by pouring Ouzo on the ground circled the dancers as they performed in the centre while breaking plates, one of many Greek traditions. Guests felt like they had stepped right into a Greek Tarverna where this type of music, dance, and entertainment is typically found.

“Outdoor festivals are highly reliant on the weather and this year we were unfortunate to have a lot of rain, but we worked with what we were given.” said Koskoletos.

The Zorba show was put on every evening despite several nights of inclement weather.

The evenings of August 19 and 21 were Multicultural Night and filled with the music and dance from around the world. This festival highlight welcomed dance troupes including The Rodina Bulgarian Dance Group, Viva Mexico, Russian Dance ensemble, Vistula Polish Dance Group, Peru Danza and Ottawa’s local Greek dancers from The Odyssey Dance Troupe. Each performance gave viewers a glimpse into their individual cultures, exhibiting brightly coloured clothing and equally eye-catching music and dance performances.

“The Ottawa Greek festival started as a one-day event and slowly grew to the eleven-day event that it is today. You can’t grow something like this right away; it takes years of dedication to create a festival this big,” said Koskoletos. “The goal of Greek Fest is to share our food and culture

ZORBA: The Zorba Show took place every night of the festival. photo: Amanda Dickerson

PERU: Performers representing the Peruvian culture during Multicultural Night. photo: Amanda Dickerson

and invite the public to learn about and enjoy our customs and traditions.”

Other highlights of the festival included Greek language lessons, cook-

ing demonstrations, tours of the Greek Orthodox Church, and an indoor Arts Court that displayed pieces of art, jewelry and replicas of ancient Greek artifacts.

Local talent, traditional cuisine a hit at Festival of India

By Ellen O’Connor

Against the backdrop of a blue summer sky, members of the Darpan Dance Group ran across the grass in front of City Hall as brightly-coloured scarves and their laughter carried in the breeze behind them.

The Ottawa-based group, led by Arts Director Lovina Srivastava, was one of the many performers who took the stage at the third annual Festival of India to showcase the beauty and diversity of Indian culture through music and dance.

Representing all regions of India was a key part of the festival’s mandate, and of the Darpan Dance Group. Their one-hour show called Reflections, performed on Friday, August 8, brought to life a medley of traditional and folk dances from all over India, including Naga, a tribal dance, and Lavni, a folk dance.

“It’s really exciting for me because when I do the dancing, people walk up to me who actually belong to those regions and say, ‘It’s been ages since we’ve watched those folk dances,’” said Srivastava, who also held a one-hour dance workshop for over 40 people. “They have been disconnected from their own folk dances and through my dance group they somehow connect to it, as a performer or an audience.”

The Darpan Dance Group held a workshop for guests, using brightly coloured scarves for fun.

The group also performed a one-hour dance show called Reflections Photo: Ellen O’Connor

While the dance workshop was a hit, the crowd of over 6,000 people who came out to the volunteer-run festival over the weekend of August 8 to 10 enjoyed musical performances, yoga, panel discussions on women’s issues, clothing and jewellry booths, cricket, and indulged in the madefrom-scratch Indian dishes prepared on-site.

“One of our goals is to highlight Indian culture to folks in the South Asian and the non-South Asian community.

Indian culture isn’t just made up of what we see in the mainstream media. There is more to it than eating samosas and lis-

tening to popular Bollywood music,” said festival President Bala Madaparthi. “We want to expose people to so much more in a fun and educational way. We want to promote mutual respect and tolerance amongst all Canadians, regardless of their cultural background.”

The festival organizers served up close to 10,000 meals to festival attendees and volunteers. Managed by 40 volunteer chefs, they prepared butter chicken, chaat, channay, paneer masala, and dosa, a South Indian delicacy which had to be made at eight cooking stations to meet

the constant demand, said Karunakar Papala, a founding member of FIO. Two other highlights included cooking workshops led by renowned Ottawa chefs who taught attendees how to use spices and prepare delicacies like pakoras, butter chicken and roti, as well as the chance for people to experience Holi, an ancient tradition where you cover yourself in coloured powder paint.

A focal point for this year’s program was to feature local talent on the main stage. The Ottawa’s Got Talent portion of Saturday and Sunday night featured Rathi Dance School, Upasana Dance Company and Gharana Arts, among many others.

“We want people to look forward to this Festival in the future. This is our third year and we are very proud of all that we have been able to accomplish”, said Papala, who added that plans for the 2015 festival are already in the works.

“The response has been great and other more experienced organizers from other cultural festivals have been more than gracious in providing advice and helping us this fairly new festival. This is helping us build close relationships with not only the Indian community but also other ethnic communities, which is what a cultural festival like this is all about: mutual respect and understanding.”

Community

PAGE 4 • www.OttawaStar.com

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Inaugural Ottawa Palestinian Festival a success

By Anaïs Lynn Voski

“He who has no past will have no future,” said Marwan Abdalla, one of the head organizers of the first Palestinian festival held in Ottawa, in his opening speech.

The festival, held in front of City Hall during August 29-31, aimed to showcase the rich history and culture of the Palestinian people whom, despite being shaken by recent events in their homeland, remain hopeful of their future. “[Palestine] is a culture of art, history, richness, and families,” said Abdalla of his homeland. “It speaks of peace, of civilization and modernization, which has been there for many generations throughout the repeated occupation of various conquering forces.”

He added the festival is also for showing the world that Palestinians are just as “civilized, modern, and peaceful” as others, who also “share a love for life.”

Palestinian ambassador Said Hamad said they would like to promote a good relationship between Canadians and Palestinians, and to show how Palestine can contribute to Canada’s rich cultural life.

The idea for a festival came from collective efforts of members of the Palestinian community and the co-chairs of the Palestinian Festival Commission. Abdalla cited the recognition of Palestine by the United Nations as a gesture of solidarity, which inspired local small business owners and entrepreneurs here in Ottawa to organize the event. They hope that the festival expresses their culture and beliefs, and well as fosters their role in the diverse community that he believes Canada is.

“We as a commission went along with Ottawa’s vision of increasing tourism and festivals,” Abdalla said. According to Abdalla, the commission decided to hold the festival for the first time this year, and to do so right in the heart of the city, to assist the Ottawa’s growing economy.

However, the ambassador added the festival was also partly a political decision, recognizing the close link between culture and politics. “We believe that Canadians should understand where we come from,” said Hamad.

“Canada believes in certain principles,” he continued, “which are based on democracy, freedom, human rights, and rule of the law. We would like the same principles applied not only to Canada, but to every country in the world—and to us too, the Palestinians.”

The festival included a wide variety of events to showcase Palestinian culture, such as dance performances, a fashion show of Palestinian embroideries, a bazaar, as well as various food and dessert items.

“Canada is a diverse country, which has been built on multiculturalism,” said Abdalla. “Palestinian culture is a part of that. So if you want to be 100 per cent Canadian, you should participate.”

Various ambassadors, including the Palestinian ambassador third from left Said Hamad, cutting the ribbon that officially opened the festival. Photo by Anaïs Lynn Voski A vendor proudly showcasing her merchandise in the festival’s bazaar.

Photo by Anaïs

Visitors trying speciality drinks and foods of the Palestinian cuisine.

Lynn Voski

Photo by Anaïs Lynn Voski

Street food scene meets international cuisine

By Brandon Rushton

Since the inception of the Ottawa Street Food Vending Program in 2012, entrepreneurs and chefs from all around the world have been bringing culturally diverse and foreign flavours to the capital. Scattered all over the city, their menus are chalk-full of classic and family recipes that include ingredients you won’t taste anywhere else. While Ottawa’s restaurant scene has always been creative and vibrant, the past street food options have been limited to fries and hot dogs from the chip truck on the corner. Now, these food trucks and carts offer something fresh and new with each dish they serve.

Not only is every meal made with strong cultural values, they are made by people who really care about the experience. Here are just a few of the worldly food trucks and carts that the capital has to offer.

Dosa Inc. Known around the city as the “Dosa Truck”, Jake Thomas’ Dosa Inc. can be found directly beside Dundonald Park on Sommerset St. West. Here, Jake and his head chef Benny Vadakkan create a variety of different savoury Dosas for the citizens of Ottawa to enjoy. Usually made from rice batter and lentils, Dosas are South Indian-style crepes, commonly paired with sambar and chutneys. Dosa Inc. is also the only food truck in Ottawa that is completely vegetarian and glutenfree. The idea for the truck’s name and menu was taken straight from Thomas’ mother’s cookbook which included many

staples from their homeland of Kerala, India. An entrepreneur at heart, Thomas has many ideas on how to spread the word about this Indian delicacy, one of which is to open a stand-alone restaurant to go along with his Dosa Inc. truck.

Chow Down Chow Down marries the concepts of classic Asian meals and snacks with strong community values. Their big red truck featuring an anime-style character on the side can always be found at the intersection of Byron and Woodroffe Ave in Westboro.

Co-owner Jason Tran left a steady government job to take on the challenge of running an Asian-inspired food truck. Tran and his food-savvy partner Song Prak hope to change Ottawa’s idea of how Asian food should taste. Known for their many sauces, peanut sauce in particular, Tran and Prak are never stingy when topping off a plate of Banh Xeo or Stir-Fried Noodles. They also try to add new dishes whenever possible, fusing North American-style snacks with Asian flavours, such as their Vermicelli and Egg Waffles. One thing they’ll never change is their inclusion of lemon grass, which has become a staple in every dish they make.

Mr. Churritos Ulises Ortega, owner and operator of Mr. Churritos, challenges Ottawa’s love of beaver tails with his Mexicanstyle dessert cart. Perfectly located at O’Connor and Sparks St., Mr. Churritos shows the citizens of Ottawa something new every day. The idea for his cart, how-

Dosa Inc’s BessyJoe, JakeThomas and BennyVadakkan Photo: Brandon Rushton

ChowDown’s JasonTran and SongPrak.

Photo: Brandon Rushton

ever, is old news to him. A graduate of the Business Management course at Algonquin College, Ortega knew he had something special with his churros, particularly after spending three months in Mexico mastering the art of making the perfect churro. His prime location has also allowed him to take advantage of the many events that take place on Sparks St. every year. Ortega uses the events as inspiration, making specialty deserts like the Churro Poutine during Ottawa’s Poutine Fest, which includes churros topped off with marshmallows, caramel, and chocolate. His ever-changing menu and delicious toppings are a sweet treat that can’t be missed.

Community

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 5

India Restaurateur, trend-setter

By Anaïs Lynn Voski

Tejpreet Singh Dulat in front of the Festival of India stage. Photo: Anaïs Lynn Voski

“I want to be a trend-setter in the food industry here,” said Tejpreet Singh Dulat, who is today the manager of two Indian restaurants and was one of the main sponsors of the Festival of India in Ottawa this year.

It all started back in 2007, when the Punjab-born restaurateur first landed in Canada. Following a career in print and television media in India, Dulat came to Canada with the inten-

tion of learning about Western media.

While studying at Algonquin College, he worked as a part-time server at Indian restaurants because food was always his second love, he said.

“I learned that the Indian restaurants here are mostly family-run businesses where families cook and serve and manage the restaurant,” said Dulat.

“Back then, I also started cooking with my roommate and experimenting with various Indian dishes. One day I said, ‘Let’s do this in a professional way.’”

Public speaking club builds confidence in children

By Rokoshan Easan

We have all felt the apprehension of making a speech. Whether it is to a crowd of unknown people, or in front of a panel of judges, the sweaty hands, trembling knees, and the fusillade of filler words that accompany public speaking are known to everyone.

Even those who can speak as effortlessly as politicians have at one time been subject to this nerve-wracking experience. Although this fear of public speaking is the most common fear and prevents many people from achieving their potential, eventually everyone can work toward speaking with confidence, starting right here in Ottawa with iLEAP Club.

Started by an enthusiastic father, the Barrhaven-based club has been successfully helping children improve their leadership and public speaking skills since its humble beginnings in 2012.

The club welcomes children from ages 8 to 18 to improve their academic success by developing public speaking and leadership skills in a supportive, nonthreatening and fun-filled environment for two hours on a bi-weekly basis.

The club is currently working with community organizations and will be running two sessions in Barrhaven and one in Kanata beginning in September 2014.

Eshvar Photo courtesy: iLeap Club

The program by iLEAP Club was designed to allow children to enjoy themselves and give constructive feedback to their peers after speeches and presentations. During a two-hour session, children actively participate in a variety of engaging activities ranging from presenting a sales pitch on a “iThink On My Feet” section or imitating speeches by leaders like Stephen Harper or Steve Jobs on an “iImitate Leaders Speech” section.

“I really enjoyed iLEAP and always learned at least two things in each class,” said Eshvar Chocku, a member with iLEAP Club. “It also made me much more confident and improved my public speaking skills.”

Is It Time For A Second Opinion?

Chocku’s father, Shanmugam Chocku, said that the classes are helping his son gain knowledge and the confidence to give a speech in front of a group.

“In the beginning Eshvar was not comfortable particularly for the first class because he never did these kinds of presentations in front of different groups other than the regular school book talk. But after the first class, he was so excited to select more than one topic before it got filled,” explained Chocku. “The nice thing about this is that [Eshvar] himself starts looking for the information about the topics and eagerly waits for the presentation day.”

Another parent, Jassy Anthony, said “I didn’t know anything about the iLEAP program when my son joined, but it really exceeded my expectations. This program is really great.”

Along with improving their public speaking skills, the student-run club also helps children develop essential life skills like, leadership, listening, organization, time-management, and even entrepreneurialism. Be it to a bully, or in a debate, children can speak up without fear and with confidence.

For more information on iLEAP Club contact info@ileapclub.org or visit www.ileapclub.org.

At the time, the owner the popular Bombay Masala Indian restaurant, located in Kanata’s bustling IT sector, was looking to retire. “I told her, ‘Let me jump in. We’ve been dreaming of this since 2007.’ It was a good choice at the right time, said Dulat.

They opened the renamed restaurant, now Urban Turban, in the fall of 2013. “A lot of Indian restaurants have similar names, like ‘masala’ or ‘grill’. I wanted a different name.”

“We started a new trend: we don’t use preservatives in our food. Indian food is a very healthy food, and it’s very tasty.

It’s good for the health. And we also play with the spice levels,” said Dulat, who recognized that many people like mild Indian food and added a mild, medium or hot option to their menus.

“We have been bringing in a lot of new dishes as well as introducing wraps.

We customize our food and do our best to accommodate,” he added.

Dulat and his partner worked seven days a week to open up their second location, called Urban Tandoor (formerly Haveli) in Bells Corners this year. “Hard work pays off here. Canada is the land of opportunities. Focus and work hard in your studies and career and it will pay off,” advises Dulat to newcomers.

Dulat says people are friendly here and Canada is a nice place, so he decided to settle down. In a way, it is a lot of cultures coming and living together, just like in India. He thinks one can learn a lot from different people with different cultural backgrounds.

“India is a big country; it’s a different world within itself. It’s also a growing market. Everybody wants to learn about India, people are exploring its culture more and more, and that includes the food too.”

The main focus of the Festival of India was to show Indian culture to Canadians, especially the variety India has to offer, in Dulat’s case, especially in terms of food. “It’s a great connecting place for everyone, which is why we decided to sponsor it.”

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Opinion

PAGE 6 • www.OttawaStar.com

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Editorial

Self expression through selfie

Why does Tim’s merger with Burger King matter so much for Canadians?

Tim’s double double, Burger’s Whopper – great combo deal eh?

B

urger King struck an $11-billion deal to buy Tim Horton’s that could culminate in the world’s third largest fast-food company with the corporate headquarters of the new company in Canada. The new company would have combined global sales of $23 billion and have 18,000 locations in 98 countries.

The proposed merger of Tim Horton’s with American fast food giant Burger King is not just another business deal for most Canadians, because Tim Horton’s is not just any another business. It has maneuvered its way into the Canadian identity with such remarkable success that for some it has become enmeshed in and synonymous with the very idea of being Canadian.

Interestingly, there seems to be three aspects to the Canadian identity: our separateness from the United States, our love of hockey, and our affection to Tim Horton’s.

Buying the ever-so-popular double-double is seen as an act of solidarity with most Canadians despite the often long lines and what coffee aficionados consider a rather ordinary taste. Canadian journalist Michelle Shephard, for instance, wrote that when she travels to Somalia half her luggage consists of Tim Horton’s coffee for grateful expats. An astounding 75 per cent of all coffee - which is nearly eight in 10 cups of coffee bought at fast-food restaurants in Canada comes from Tim’s.

In Canada, some fear that a chain they see as a national icon

is once again in foreign hands, as it was from 1995 to 2006 when it was owned by Wendy’s International. They fret that they will likely lose their beloved doubledoubles or the Timbits. There have been many other brandsdistinctly Canadian which merged with big American companies and so underwent changes, faded and slowly vanished from sight. Their worst fear is to see a tragedy like this befalling their popular brand.

Both sides say the restaurant chains will be run separately and the deal will not involve tinkering or mixing formats, such as offering Tim Horton’s coffee at Burger King. Rather, this deal is really about taking Tim Horton’s, already staggeringly successful in Canada, to the world stage.

Although Tim Horton’s has strong brand appeal and an unmatchable foothold in Canada, it struggled to have a major impact in the U.S. With a growing clientele that needs its caffeine fix in the morning, coffee is a very vital breakfast item, and Tim Horton’s with its brand appeal can help Burger King’s expansion plan of competing with McDonald’s McCafe and Starbucks’ coffee.

This merger could prove to be mutually beneficial to both entities and provide them with a base from which they can strategically work on their weakness.

Let us hope that, Tim Horton’s will hold on to its image as a home brewed Canadian icon while pursuing its ambitious plan to enter and succeed in the US market and not sacrifice one in its drive to gain another.

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By Sangeetha Arya

W

hat can we learn from selfies—digital self-portraits that have become the hottest social currency?

“Selfie” was the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year for 2013. The ubiquitous Selfie is the recently popularized genre of photograph in which the photographer themselves appear in a shot they capture. It’s typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often shared on social networking services such as Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr and Twitter.

It’s quite easy to dismiss the selfie as a narcissistic fad, but as you look deeper there seems to be more to it than that.

As the world we inhabit becomes increasingly digital, selfies provide many different ways of participating, interacting with and enjoying that world. It is the new way to look someone right in the eye and say, “Hello, this is me.”

Selfies facilate self exploration. One of the most effective ways to know our self is to see ourselves as others see us. When we take our selfies in different places doing different things, they in a way represent our various avatars: Mini-Me’s that we send out to give others a sense of who we are. A photo does a pretty good stand-in, much better than words, especially if it also expresses action and place.

In representing us they stand in for our physical self and there-

Publisher: Chandrakanth Arya Chief Editor: Sangeetha Arya Editor: Ellen O’Connor

fore very powerful images of us.

Not only does a selfie capture us in the moment, it immortalises that moment.

They offer the opportunities to show different facets of our personality, such as our artistic side, the silly or the goofy side, the glamorous side and the social side. We form our opinion about different people by collecting, accumulating and synthesising information over time. Our understanding of everything, include other people, is a synthesis, an amalgamation of all the things we know about them. By offering different aspects of who we are through images, we are sharing more of ourselves, exploring and becoming more authentic and transparent—things that digital connectivity encourages.

Selfies offer users the ability to create a life narrative through images—silly, ugly, pretty, enterprising –all the different nuances. Images portray and interact

differently with the brain than text. They encode experience.

Isn’t it rightly said that a picture is worth a thousand words?

When we look at old photos, our brains relive the event allowing us to walk through the memory lane bringing back the emotions, context, and experience. We can look back on our motives and actions and gain insight we couldn’t’ get in any other way. They also allow us control over our representation.

Selfies are not all about seeking external validation.

People often say that posters of selfies are purely attention seeking. But don’t we all seek and need approval. Humans are gregarious animals, driven by the hunger for connection, communication and social validation. We want to be valued, appreciated, and included in the groups that matter to us.

And yes it’s okay to celebrate ourselves along the way.

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Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Opinion

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 7

Canadians ambivalent about healthcare system

By Noralou Roos

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INNIPEG, MB, Troy Media—I had cataract surgery last year—a terrifying prospect for a visual person. I love art and ocean views, and I was nervous about anyone working on my eyes.

I delayed surgery a couple of times but finally committed.

As it turned out, my surgery went fine. In fact, I loved that I could see colours vividly again. Our health system made that happen. And the care I received was expert and efficient.

Most Canadians report similarly positive encounters with the healthcare system. A total of 71 per cent of Canadians responding to a survey in 2012 rated their family’s care over the previous five years as either good or very good. But when the survey asked the same people to rate the state of the healthcare system in general, only 55.5 per cent said it was either good or very good.

Those numbers don’t line up: if the majority of Canadians are having good

personal experiences with the health system, why are most people also saying the system works poorly?

It seems there is a disconnect between Canadians’ personal views and their idea of how well the health system works for society at large.

What we read in the papers probably has a lot to do with this. Two recent analyses of media coverage over several years, one by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) and the other by researchers Stuart Soroka at the University of Michigan, Antonia Maioni at McGill University and Pierre Martin at the University of Montreal, found that when specific health issues, such as wait times and doctor shortages, received heightened attention in print and on the airwaves, Canadians rated the issues as more important. When the coverage of subjects was more negative in a given year, respondents graded those areas of the system more negatively.

Policy experts often describe healthcare as a problem with incompatible solutions. We try to deliver care quickly, cheaply to everyone, everywhere and at the highest quality possible. As we assess each of these measures and make constant adjustments to the policy balance, new difficulties arise.

What we don’t always take time to note is that, by and large, Canada’s healthcare system is a success.

The costs of the Canadian system are about the same as other countries with a similar GDP—and much less than the cost in the U.S. ($4,602 versus $8,745 per capita). Life expectancy in Canada is also similar to other major European countries (and much higher than that of Americans—81.5 years versus 78.7). The big picture numbers tell a success story.

But there’s more to a quality interaction with the health system than just statistics; there’s also the human touch. My own recent surgery illustrates another winning aspect of the system that is best illustrated through the experiences of two other patients in the surgery wing that day.

The hospital told me in advance that all patients needed someone scheduled to pick them up after surgery, in my case my husband. On the day of my surgery, I sat in a waiting room with several other patients as nurses doled out pre-surgery eye drops.

The woman next to me did not speak English and there was an obvious problem: it seemed no one had been scheduled to pick her up after surgery. They found someone who could communicate with her in her language in a limited way, and explained that they could not operate without

How a national drug plan can boost the Canadian economy

By Marc-André Gagnon

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TTAWA, ON, Troy Media—Canadians pay among the highest costs per capita among OECD countries for prescription drugs, with one Canadian out of 10 unable to fill their prescriptions because of financial reasons.

According to the recently released study, A Roadmap to a Rational Pharmacare Policy in Canada, commissioned by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) there are two main reasons why prescription drug costs are so expensive in Canada.

First, we have a fragmented system with multiple public and private drug plans.

In a fragmented system, attempts to reduce costs normally result in shifting the cost somewhere else in the system. Although provincial public plans have managed to significantly reduce drug costs since 2010 by reducing the price of generics and by

negotiating confidential agreements with drug companies, there have been significant cost increases in private plans as drug companies and pharmacists seek compensation for their losses from public plans.

Second, according to the study Canadians pay artificially inflated prices for both brand-name drugs and generics in order to support the national pharmaceutical sector. But this strategy has not delivered what was promised: namely, investment and employment in Canada. Studies show that paying higher prices for drugs does not result in a thriving pharmaceutical sector in the country. Numbers alone tell the story; employment in the Canadian brand-name pharmaceutical sector went from 22,332 employees in 2003 to 14,990 in 2012.

Instead of eliminating this failed strategy, the federal government’s plan appears to be to allow drug companies to increase drug costs further by permitting the extension of patents via a trade agreement with Europe. The presumption is that the Canadian pharmaceutical sector will thrive again, and more jobs for Canadians will be created. This goes against all the evidence.

Around 60 per cent of Canadians are covered through private drug plans

provided by their employer. The inability to contain drug costs in Canada has led to increased labour costs, making Canadian enterprises less competitive. The possibility of losing drug coverage also reduces labour mobility for employees.

Employee benefits now represent more than 10 per cent of gross payroll and drugs represent the highest single benefit cost component. According to a 2012 survey by the Conference Board of Canada, half of the employers questioned indicated that cost-containment of employee benefits was a “very important” issue on their radar, and 55 per cent considered that prescription drug coverage should be the focus of their next major strategic review.

Private health benefits in Canada are also tainted by the very high administration fees charged by for-profit Canadian insurance companies: $1 in every $6 on average for private plans compared to one in every $50 for public plans. The disproportionate premiums paid by employers and employees to insurance companies end up favouring the financial sector to the detriment of the real economy.

Canada is the only country in the world with a medicare system that excludes

someone to help her home. After about 45 minutes, the hospital staff located a family friend and into surgery she went.

Another man that day received special care after the surgery staff discovered that he had planned to walk back to his assisted living facility alone. The nurses told the man they couldn’t let him walk home, and suggested he take a taxi instead. But he couldn’t afford a taxi. Don’t worry, they said, we can arrange for a taxi to take you back and you won’t have to pay.

It’s critical that the quality of medical care in Canada is top notch, but it’s equally important that care be delivered in ways that are sensitive to individual, family and cultural needs—delivered with a human touch. I was impressed that the nurses were taking particular care to make sure that the system worked for everyone.

I’m thankful to our health system for seeing clearly now. I hope as we move forward on the perpetual path to reform healthcare in this country—shortening wait times, improving access, enhancing quality—that we keep in mind it’s pretty good to begin with.

Noralou Roos is a professor in the department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, and the director and co-founder of EvidenceNetwork.ca. Article courtesy www.troymedia.com

prescription drugs as if they are not part of the healthcare system. Yet the CFNU study demonstrates that if Canada implemented universal pharmacare for all Canadians without any out-of-pocket expenditures for patients, there would not only be greater access to prescription drugs for Canadians, but a potential savings up to $11.4 billion every year by decreasing drug costs and reducing administration fees. These results would be achieved by all levels of government working together to contain costs instead of working against each other by shifting costs elsewhere in the system.

Such savings would represent not only a significant decrease in labour costs for Canadian employers; it would also increase net disposable income for all employees. It would have the same effect as a significant tax cut to help boost the economy, while providing better access to care and greater labour mobility.

A 2013 EKOS poll showed that 78 per cent of Canadians are in favour of establishing a universal pharmacare program in Canada. Our policymakers have all the necessary tools to assume leadership on this issue.

In spite of self-serving lobby groups which insist that the current system is working well and should not be reformed, establishing a national drug plan is the best thing to do for patients, for employers, for employees, for taxpayers, and for the Canadian economy.

Marc-André Gagnon is an expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca and assistant professor with the school of public policy and administration, Carleton University. Article courtesy www.troymedia.com

Community

PAGE 8 • www.OttawaStar.com

Venezuelan unrest felt in Ottawa

By Patrick Barrios

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hile protests and demonstrations continue to fill the streets of Venezuela, international news providers, including Ottawa, have all but halted reports regarding civil unrest. However, according to Ottawa-residing Venezuelans, they unanimously claim to feel the ramifications of the unrest in Venezuela.

“It is very hard in the peak moments of unrest; it can be difficult to concentrate at work,” said Ottawa resident Sandy Hernandez. “It doesn’t help that everyone at work is always inquiring about the state of the country.”

On February 12, 2014, government opposition members led student protests in 38 cities across Venezuela. Rallied by the student demonstrations, other protests broke out throughout the country at a rapidly increasing rate. With the international public interest amplified by the death of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in 2013 and the subsequent, controversial election of President Nicolás Maduro, the civil unrest received ample coverage worldwide.

Since the election, the news coverage has begun to die down significantly; however, the unrest and consequences

felt by citizens in Venezuela, and Ottawa, has not.

Eumar Tovar, a political refugee from Venezuela, said that although he does not feel directly threatened by the protests, he worries constantly about his family and friends.

Renowned Venezuelan model and actress, Emma Rabbe, who currently resides in Ottawa, noted that her initial response to the insecurity in Venezuela was to move to Canada to shield her children from the country’s ever-increasing rates of violent crime.

Another ramification of the civil unrest felt by Ottawa residents is the difficulty of travelling to and from Venezuela. Due to its instability and the over $4 billion Venezuela owes various airlines, all direct flights between Canada and Venezuela have been cut, along with approximately 80 per cent of flights between the United States and Venezuela.

Others challenges faced by Venezuelans in Ottawa include difficulty renewing passports and lack of access to diverse local news as the government continues to close and buy out Venezuelan media companies such as RCTV, Globovision, and Venevision.

When asked about the causes of the civil unrest, most felt that the current government was at least partially to blame.

“Corruption has always existed in every government throughout history, but the current government’s ambition is accompanied by ignorance and seems to lack the ability to properly run a country,” said Rabbe. “The conditions in Venezuela are, for many, simply not acceptable.”

Tovar, who said it was “chaotic odyssey” when his mother recently travelled from Canada to her home country, added that he believes Venezuela has long been a polarized country.

“Half the citizens are against the base ideologies of the current Venezuelan government, and the repressions the government has contributed to have led that group of citizens to protest in the street,” he said.

Tovar has participated in nearly every protest held by Resistencia Ottawa in front of Parliament Hill, in which he hopes “to show Ottawa Parliamentarians the severity and importance of the situation in Venezuela.”

Factors that have led to the protests in Venezuela include their increasing violent crime rates, skyscraping inflation rates, low salaries, expropriation of news providers, alleged government tampering of election results, and shortages of essential goods.

Frustration was also expressed towards the Bolivarian Government for having manip-

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014 ulated and created policies which increase the difficulty for a different political party to democratically come into power.

“It is possible to take an active role by transmitting information and details to the world, but there is only so much you can do when watching from the sidelines,” said Rabbe, who along with other Ottawa citizens unanimously agreed they can have an impact on the situation in Venezuela, however limited.

Lebanese-born Canadian musician Karl Wolf (left) performed during the second night of the St. Charbel 20th Annual Family Gathering. Photo by St Charbel Church

St. Charbel celebrates 20th annual gathering

By Samantha Ammoun

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Saint Charbel Maronite Catholic Parish in Ottawa celebrated its 20th Annual Family Gathering around the Virgin Mary between August 13 and 18.

It marked the catholic religious feast day known as the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven in body and soul.

The gathering was marked by several religious ceremonies throughout the week and outdoor torchlight processions despite the rain and cold weather.

Although the rain did slow down many Ottawans from making their way down to the Rafka garden, many people still stood in line ups for the delicious food and danced the traditional dabke under the rain.

“We work hard to bring something like our annual gathering together year after year. I am proud of our numerous volunteers who never cease to impress me,” said Father Henri, administrating priest at the parish.

From fun rides to delicious kabab, there was a lot to enjoy during the weeklong feast. Volunteers even offered to return an extra day on Monday to make up for the not-to-sunny weather throughout the first couple of days.

Wednesday’s opening ceremony was attended by several officials notably Mayor Jim Watson and Councillor Eli El-Chantiry who presented the parish with a beautiful award marking their 20th gathering.

Sundays closing ceremony was highlighted by performances on stage and extravagant fireworks.

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Canada

Khurram Sher, one time ‘Canadian Idol’ contestant, not guilty on terror charge

By Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

O

TTAWA—Khurram Syed Sher, a medical doctor who once performed on TV’s “Canadian Idol,’’ was found not guilty on August 19 of conspiring to facilitate terrorism—the first acquittal at trial of someone charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Sher, a doctor of pathology from London, Ont., had pleaded not guilty after he was charged along with two other men in August 2010. During the trial, federal lawyers argued that Sher had agreed with the others to raise money, send cash abroad, take paramilitary training, make and use explosives, and scout targets in Canada.

At one point in the investigation, police covertly entered the residence of one

Oath of citizenship ruling upheld Continued from page 1

conclusion that the oath is a symbolic commitment to be governed as a democratic constitutional monarchy unless and until democratically changed.’’

If the reference to the Queen in the oath were eliminated, or made optional, wrote Weiler, such a remedy would only be a superficial cure for the complaint.

“Because the Queen remains the head of our government, any oath that commits the would-be citizen to the principles of Canada’s government is implicitly an oath to the Queen.’’

With its decision, the court upheld a ruling issued last September by the Ontario Superior Court, which dismissed the claim, saying the provision is constitutional, even if it does violate free-speech rights.

The applicants are Irish-born Michael McAteer, Dror Bar-Natan from Israel and Jamaican-born Simone Topey.

Selwyn Pieters, one of the lawyers involved in the case, said the trio were expecting a different outcome and will now seek leave to the Supreme Court of Canada.

“They believe that it’s a fundamental hindrance to their freedom of expression, their freedom of religion and their freedom of conscience,’’ Pieters said.

“Many people who feel that the monarchy is an anti-democratic relic of the past conscientiously object to taking such an oath and feel that it should suffice to take an oath to Canada.’’

The federal government has maintained that taking an oath to the Queen has been around since Confederation as a condition of “acquiring membership in the Canadian polity.’’

of Sher’s purported co-conspirators and seized 56 circuit boards. The Crown said the electronics could be meant for “only one thing’’—to build remote-control devices to set off bombs.

Police replaced the circuit boards with identical, non-functioning replicas.

In his decision, Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland said that while Sher, 32, probably harboured some jihadist sympathies, he was not convinced the doctor genuinely intended to join a conspiracy.

As a result, the Crown had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, Hackland said.

The judge described Sher as an undoubtedly bright, but ultimately “quite naive, immature and inarticulate young man.’’

Speaking outside the courthouse, defence lawyer Michael Edelson said Sher will now focus on rebuilding his life, which has been in limbo the last four years.

“His career has been ended, he’s lost over a million dollars in income, prestige in the community, and it’s been a very, very tough four years,’’ Edelson said.

“His family has left, he’s had reduced access to his children—it’s been tragic.’’

Sher stood quietly behind his lawyer and demurred when asked for his reaction to the decision, saying only, “It feels great.’’

Crown prosecutor Jason Wakely called the judgment disappointing. “We’re going to review the reasons, which were lengthy and well-considered, and we’ll determine whether or not there are any grounds for appeal,’’ he said.

Sher’s acquittal follows the July conviction of Ottawa hospital technician Misbahuddin Ahmed on two terrorism charges related to the conspiracy. A third man, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, has yet to face trial.

A graduate of Montreal’s McGill University, Sher worked as an anatomical pathologist at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital in St. Thomas, Ont., south of London.

He made international headlines shortly after his arrest when it emerged he had once performed an Avril Lavigne song on “Canadian Idol,’’ a popular show aimed at showcasing amateur singers. He spent several years free on bail, albeit under strict conditions.

In arguing its case, the Crown said Sher had joined a homegrown group

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 9 dedicated to supporting “violent jihad’’ by whatever means possible.

Sher testified he does not believe in violence, but rather giving back to the community.

Defence arguments painted Sher as a humanitarian who donated thousands of dollars to charity and helped with earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan. He and Ahmed—who had known each other in Montreal—shared a love of hockey, with Sher providing advice to his friend on fantasy league pool picks.

Federal lawyers cited evidence gathered through wiretaps of phone calls, intercepted emails and covertly installed listening devices. They played sometimes sketchy audio culled from electronic surveillance of a July 20, 2010, meeting at Ahmed’s Ottawa home.

The Crown portrayed the gathering as a pivotal moment for the three supposed plotters.

Sher’s lawyers characterized the visit as a friendly stopover en route from Montreal to his new job in southern Ontario.

The rambling, often disjointed meeting included discussion of jihad and selection of a group leader.

Sher testified at trial he was shocked to learn during the conversation that Ahmed had become a supporter of extremism.

In his reasons, Hackland said it was clear that Sher had not met the Continued on page 10

PAGE 10 • www.OttawaStar.com

Canada

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Court dismisses case claiming royal Going from reserve law discriminates against Catholics

By Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

T

ORONTO—Ontario’s top court says a Roman Catholic man can’t challenge a royal succession law that he says discriminates against his religion.

Bryan Teskey tried to ask the courts to strike down a rule prohibiting Catholics from ascending to the throne, arguing it violates the charter.

But the Court of Appeal for Ontario upheld a lower-court decision, ruling that the succession rules are not subject to charter scrutiny and that Teskey had no standing to bring the challenge.

Canada joined 16 other Commonwealth countries, following a British request, to fast track a change to royal succession laws.

The revamped succession laws eliminate the outdated tradition that favoured male heirs over their older sisters, giving fe-

males equal status, and end a 300-year-old rule that bans the monarch from marriage to a Roman Catholic.

Teskey tried to argue that the changes did not go far enough because they still mean a Roman Catholic person cannot succeed to the throne. But the Appeal Court dismissed Teskey’s appeal, agreeing with the lower court that being a Catholic appears to be his only interest in the case.

“The rules of succession are a part of the fabric of the constitution of Canada and incorporated into it and therefore cannot be trumped or amended by the charter, and Mr. Teskey does not have any personal interest in the issue raised (other than being a member of the Roman Catholic faith) and does not meet the test for public interest standing,’’ the Appeal Court wrote in its decision.

He has no connection to the Royal Family, Superior Court Judge Charles

Hackland noted in his decision last year.

“He raises a purely hypothetical issue which may never occur, namely a Roman Catholic Canadian in line for succession to the throne being passed over because of his or her religion,’’ Hackland wrote.

“Should this ever occur a proper factual matrix would be available to the court to deal with a matter of this importance.’’

Two Quebec professors filed a constitutional challenge of the law last year in Quebec Superior Court on the grounds that the provinces were not consulted.

The legal posturing erupted last year as Prince William’s wife, Kate, gave birth to a boy, now third in line to the British throne.

The revamped succession laws would have had more application had the royal baby been a girl because they modernize the previous rule of succession that allowed younger boys to leapfrog over their older sisters.

Commercial vehicle safety blitz in Toronto targeted minorities: lawyer

By Ethan Lou, The Canadian Press

T

ORONTO—A commercial vehicle safety blitz that led to the arrest of 21 people for immigration offences targeted minorities and amounts to racial profiling, a lawyer involved in the case alleged August 20.

Macdonald Scott, who represents two of the people arrested, said Canada Border Services Agency officials aggressively demanded identification from members of visible minorities during the four-hour operation last Thursday.

CBSA defended its participation in the traffic blitz, which also involved the Ontario Ministry of Transport and provincial police, but did not comment on the racial profiling allegations.

“In the past, the CBSA has been invited to participate in this type of blitz when partner agencies have noticed that many drivers stopped during blitzes had immigration warrants,’’ the agency said in an email to The Canadian Press.

“As a result, it was determined that

Khurram Sher Continued from page 9

third man before the meeting, which stretched into the wee hours.

However, the judge did not accept all of Sher’s attempts to explain away his own statements and actions.

For instance, asked during the latenight meeting whether it was better to acknowledge participation in a bombing or remain silent, Sher said, “It is better not to.’’

the CBSA’s presence would be beneficial in the processing of these individuals.’’

Scott said the arrests took place in an area where construction labourers wait to be picked up by potential employers. He said both his clients are Mexican men in their early 20s and work in construction.

“One guy was just walking over to visit a friend,’’ he said. “They pressured him into giving his name, found out he has an immigration warrant and basically detained him.’’

His other client was a passenger in a van when he was stopped while on his way to work with five to six other people, Scott said.

“It’s racial profiling,’’ he said. “I asked my clients, ‘Do you see them stopping white people?’ They said, ‘No, they’re only stopping Latinos.’’’ Scott said both men were deported August 19.

Sharry Aiken, associate dean of Queen’s University’s law faculty, said people only need to provide identification to border officials operating inland if they are suspected of committing an immigration offence— something hard to establish by observation.

At trial, Sher said he meant it was better not to bomb anyone at all. Hackland called this an obvious misrepresentation.

Ultimately, Hackland said there was not enough proof for a criminal conviction.

The judge said it was relevant to ask whether a medical doctor with a track record of humanitarian support “would so readily sign on to a group planning potential terrorist activity in Canada without any careful consideration or reflection.’’

“If Canada Border Services Agency tried to suggest that, ‘I have reason to believe this is an illegal migrant... because they’re Irish, and we happen to know that there’re a lot of illegal workers from Ireland’—sorry, that doesn’t cut it,’’ she said. Steven Tress, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, said even if the driver is an illegal immigrant, passengers should not be under suspicion simply by association.

“You’re driving with a friend and he’s here illegally... If the CBSA or the police want to arrest that person, that doesn’t require you to identify yourself,’’ he said.

The migrant advocacy group No One Is Illegal protested the arrests on August 18 outside government buildings in Toronto.

Group organizer Syed Hussan said the group has made contact with seven of those arrested, among whom there are four from Mexico and one each from Argentina, El Salvador the Philippines.

The provincial police said its involvement in the operation was limited to sending one officer to attend a briefing, while the Ministry of Transport said it only focuses on vehicle violations.

Federal Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander defended the CBSA involvement in the blitz, saying those “out of status’’ who want to avoid an “unpleasant turn of events’’ should either try to attain immigration status or leave the country.

“CBSA does its job extremely well, removing large numbers of those who have abused Canada’s generosity,’’ he said on Tuesday.

“From what I’ve heard, that was the case in recent days in Toronto with the people that were arrested—undocumented workers—by CBSA.’’

to recruit

A culture shock for some aboriginals Continued from page 1

Aboriginals have long been underrepresented within the military. They now make up only 2.3 per cent of the combined regular force and primary reserves, the report says. The target for aboriginal people in the military is 3.4 per cent.

The study, done by Defence Research and Development Canada, was meant to help the Canadian Armed Forces improve its existing programs to help aboriginal recruits from isolated communities better adapt to urban life while serving in the military.

The results of the study are based on focus groups held in Kingston, Ont., Saskatoon and Prince Albert, Sask., and Yellowknife between November 2012 and April 2013. A combined total of 35 people took part in the survey.

Participants reported feeling stereotyped after they joined the military.

“Some military members have the same perceptions—no matter where you go there is this same idea that all aboriginal people are drunks and are lazy,’’ one of the participants said.

“The negative perception that people have about us makes it harder to get jobs or be integrated in the (Canadian Armed Forces). I always have to continually prove myself.’’

Others had a hard time being away from their families.

“It can be very difficult for some people to come from very isolated communities to life in the (Canadian Armed Forces) —they have no idea what to expect,’’ one person said.

“Some of them couldn’t adjust and couldn’t stop crying; they weren’t used to being away from their families and had no idea how hard it could be.’’

The military has appointed Lt.Gen. Marquis Hainse, the commander of the army, as its “champion’’ for aboriginal issues, a spokeswoman said.

“Regarding the internal report produced by Defence Research and Development Canada ... (Canadian Armed Forces) leadership is consulting and analysing its recommendations,’’ MarieHelene Brisson wrote in an email.

Christian Leuprecht, who teaches at the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said the problem of aboriginals being underrepresented isn’t exclusive to the military.

“I wouldn’t chalk it up to the (Canadian Forces) not trying hard enough,’’ he said.

“I mean, the RCMP has the same sort of problem, and generally security forces have that type of problem.’’

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Canada

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 11

Missing, murdered aboriginal women not just a police issue: police chiefs Continued from page 1

But the death of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, whose body was found Aug. 17 wrapped in a bag and dumped in the Red River in Winnipeg, has become a rallying point.

The teen had run away from foster care, and Weighill said aboriginal girls make up a majority of the females in foster care and group homes.

He said there have already been many studies pointing to the underlying issues of poverty, poor-housing, racism, social challenges and marginalization.

Weighill said the statistics are startling. Studies in his city show aboriginal women are five to six times more likely to be victimized than non-aboriginal women, and aboriginal people account for more than 80 per cent of the population of Canada’s prisons.

“The drivers for this are not a police issue,’’ he said. “A lot of times it’s a health issue, it’s a housing issue, it’s a poverty issue. They’re issues affecting people that are disadvantaged—that’s what’s driving some of the vulnerability for some of our First Nations women.’’

Earlier this year, RCMP released a report that found 1,181 cases of murdered or missing aboriginal women between 1980 and 2012.

The report said women make up 4.3 per cent of the Canadian population, but account for 16 per cent of female homicides and 11.3 per cent of missing women.

And it’s not just aboriginal women, Weighill pointed out. Eighty per cent of Canada’s prison populations are First Nations, Inuit and Metis, he said.

“Those within the law enforcement community cannot help but recognize the marginalized conditions that too often face First Nations people,’’ he said.

“Poverty, poor housing, racism, etc. are pre-conditions to heightened criminal activity and more victimization. We need to work with the federal government on strategies to improve living conditions and prevent recruiting by gangs and enticement towards prostitution and drug abuse.’’

The federal government has firmly rejected an inquiry.

Mid-August, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said crimes against aboriginal women should not be viewed as “sociological phenomenon.’’

On August 26, a spokeswoman for Justice Minister Peter MacKay issued a statement saying there is no need for another study “on top of the some 40 studies that have already been done.’’

“We need police to catch her killer and ensure the perpetrator or perpetrators are punished and face the full force of the law,’’ the statement said.

Weighill said it’s not just a policing issue.

“It’s a community issue,’’ he said.

He said the police chiefs’ association wants an action plan that brings

together health, social and education services, as well as police.

Michele Audette, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, said she was disappointed that the police chiefs did not back a public inquiry.

But given the federal government’s position so far, Audette herself has ad-

vocated a roundtable of government agencies and aboriginal leaders to discuss the same issues.

“Yes, dialogue need to happen and they want to be part of it,’’ she said.

“That is good news.’’

Several provincial premiers have spoken out in recent days in favour of a public inquiry.

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PAGE 12 • www.OttawaStar.com

World

Amid bedlam in Missouri, Obama tentatively tiptoes into topic of race relations

By Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press

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Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

W

ASHINGTON—The first time Barack Obama touched a racially heated debate during his presidency, he wound up getting scorched.

In his first year in office, America’s first black president saw his approval ratings fall precipitously in mere days, dropping seven percentage points among white voters, according to a Pew survey from July 2009.

That was the week he criticized the arrest of a Harvard professor in his own home after police suspected him of breaking in. Obama wound up inviting both Henry Louis Gates and the officer who arrested him for a beer at the White House.

But the damage was done.

It’s a pattern that’s repeated itself several times during Obama’s career—with even the rarest, most timid incursion into the choppy waters of racial politics leaving him waist-deep in political waves.

On August 14, he tiptoed back in following a fourth straight night of violent clashes between police officers and protesters in the Missouri community of Ferguson, the result of the police shooting of an unarmed black teen.

Obama’s public appearance came after the White House was subjected to a torrent of ridicule in social media the previous night, having tweeted about a delightful evening on Martha’s Vineyard at the birthday of a lobbyist’s wife as suburban St. Louis spiralled into scenes of smoke-filled bedlam.

Obama said there was no excuse for police misbehaviour—the excessive force, unwarranted arrests, the detention of journalists, or investigative cover-ups.

On the other hand, he cautioned, there was no excuse for reports of vandalism, looting, or violence against police.

“So now is the time for healing,’’ he said.

“Now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson. Now is the time for an open and transparent process to see that justice is done. And I’ve asked that the attorney general and the U.S. attorney on the scene continue to work with local officials to move that process forward.’’

He never once mentioned the words, “black,’’ or “race,’’ or “African-American.’’

Compare that to Rand Paul, the white Kentuckian Republican expected to run for president in 2016. In an open letter August 14, the senator ripped the militarization of American police forces, which he blamed on big government. And he said anyone who thinks race doesn’t play a role in how justice gets applied in the United States just isn’t paying attention.

Like Paul, the current president has talked about how African-Americans are statistically much more likely to be sent to prison for committing the same crime as

whites. He’s even reduced the huge gap in penalties between possession of crack and powder cocaine.

But Obama doesn’t discuss race all that often.

In fact, after sifting reams of presidential statements and executive orders, Daniel Gillion, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, concluded Obama has publicly mentioned race less often than any Democratic president since at least 1961.

When he does, it’s generally along latest lines: voice frustrations felt by the black community, add a caveat, call for national healing.

It was similar following the not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman, who shot and killed another unarmed black teen, Trayvon Martin.

Obama spoke about his personal experiences growing up as a black man - being followed in department stores, hearing car doors lock as he walked by, seeing a woman clutch her purse in the elevator.

Then came the caveat. Obama said African-Americans weren’t naive about the fact that young black men were ``disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system... (and were) disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violence.’’

One polemicist points to the MartinZimmerman case to illustrate a gloomy point about Obama’s presidency.

Forget the post-racial healing people spoke of when Obama was first elected - TaNehisi Coates suggests in a 2012 essay that, on the contrary, Obama’s time in office has exposed and even deepened ugly wounds.

As evidence, he pointed to the initial reaction to Martin’s shooting as apolitical. He said it was recognized as a tragedy by liberals and conservatives, whites and blacks alike—until Obama touched it.

The instant Obama weighed in with his relatively tepid remarks, “this could’ve been my son,’’ the death became fodder for political debate, Coates wrote in the essay, published in the Atlantic.

“In a democracy, so the saying goes, the people get the government they deserve,’’ he wrote.

“Part of Obama’s genius is a remarkable ability to soothe race consciousness among whites. Any black person who’s worked in the professional world is well acquainted with this trick. But never has it been practised at such a high level, and never have its limits been so obviously exposed.’’

Coates said the opposition to Obama is fuelled, in part, by politicized rage. There’s a fair bit of political-science research that suggests racial attitudes spur at least some of the opposition to the president.

“But the rules of our racial politics,’’ he wrote, “require that Obama never respond in like fashion.’’

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

World

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 13

India launches initiative to US says Egypt, UAE behind Libya strikes; open millions of zero balance intervention shows bank accounts for the poor impatience with US led efforts N

By Katy Daigle, The Associated Press

By Bradley Klapper And Maggie Michael, The Associated Press

W

ASHINGTON—Egypt and the United Arab Emirates secretly carried out airstrikes against Islamic militias inside Libya, the United States publicly acknowledged on August 26, another sharp jolt to American-led attempts over the past three years to stabilize Libya after dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s overthrow.

One official said Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia for months have been supporting a renegade general’s campaign against Libyan militant groups, but that the Saudis don’t appear to have played a role in recent strikes. The Libyan government is too weak and disorganized to fight the militants itself. Another official said the U.S. was aware that Egypt and UAE were planning strikes and warned them against it. Neither U.S. ally notified Washington before launching the strikes, officials said.

But U.S.-led international efforts to secure the country clearly are fraying as impatience in the region grows.

Libya is undergoing its worst violence since rebels ousted Gadhafi in 2011. Tripoli’s international airport is largely destroyed and diplomats, foreign nationals and thousands of Libyans have fled. The U.S. embassy there is closed, nearly two years after the U.S. ambassador was killed while visiting Benghazi.

Since then, powerful militias have seized power and the central government has proved unable to create a strong police force or unified military.

In recent months, Islamist fighters have confronted a backlash, losing their power in parliament and facing a counteroffensive by former Gadhafi and rebel Gen. Khalifa Hifter.

Washington doesn’t support the general. But some of Libya’s neighbours, fearful of the growing power of the Islamist extremists, are helping him.

Although Britain, France, Germany and Italy joined the U.S. in expressing their concerns about the airstrikes, Egyptian officials denied involvement and the Emiratis haven’t commented. The airstrikes reflect growing international division, with Egypt and the UAE, two of the region’s most powerful, anti-Islamist governments, deciding they needed

to act to prevent Libya from becoming a failed state and a breeding ground for jihadist activity throughout the Arab world.

A U.S. official said recent airstrikes were done without authorization from Libya’s government. The officials weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. The Egyptian and UAE role in the strikes was first reported by The New York Times.

The strikes happened as Islamist-backed militias were engaged in ongoing fighting for control of the Tripoli airport. They occurred on two days in the last week.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri called reports of an Egyptian role “unsubstantiated rumours.’’

But Egypt has been closely involved in Libya’s ongoing contest for power for several months, according to several Egyptian officials. They said the effort began with intelligence collection about training camps, hideouts and barracks for extremist groups in the east such as Ansar alShariah, which the U.S. blames for the 2012 attack on its diplomatic facility in Benghazi.

That operation included an Egyptian elite force called “Rapid Intervention,’’ which was formed by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to combat terrorism inside and outside Egypt.

Officials with knowledge of the operations say Egypt has been working with Saudi, Emirati and Libyan military officials to support Hifter’s counteroffensive. They weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the covert efforts and demanded anonymity. An American citizen who serves as a spokesman for the general, David Anthony LeVeque, confirmed that Egypt was assisting the fight against extremist Islamist factions.

He said the Islamists were getting arms from Qatar.

Three years ago, the Emirates and Gulf neighbour Qatar played the most prominent Arab roles in the military intervention that led to Gadhafi’s ouster. Both sent warplanes as part of the NATO-led effort. Qatar in particular supplied weapons to rebels.

But the two countries, both important U.S. allies, are in opposing camps now, jostling for influence in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings.

EW DELHI—India’s state-owned banks are conducting a massive campaign to open millions of accounts for poor Indians who are off the financial grid and vulnerable to black market money lenders.

Tens of thousands have already lined up to open accounts since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the campaign in his Independence Day speech to the nation on Aug. 15, bank managers said August 28.

Modi urged banks in a recent letter to “try your best to ensure that no one is left without a bank account.’’ The goal is to sign up 150 million people by 2018. About half of India’s 1.2 billion people lack bank accounts.

“This is a national priority and we must rise to meet this challenge,’’ Modi’s letter said, according to his website. “There is an urgency to this exercise, as all other development activities are hindered by this single disability.’’

The four-year program may also help beat back the endemic corruption affecting almost every level of Indian bureaucracy, by channeling government welfare and work payments directly into the accounts of individuals rather than through regional and local offices.

“Any help the government provides will be deposited ... that is why I opened this account,’’ said Ramesh Singh, a 27-year-old chauffeur, as he lined up to submit his paperwork at a bank branch in the southern suburbs of New Delhi.

The accounts are unique in that they would stay open even if empty, a key condition for keeping enrolled the hundreds of millions of impoverished Indians earning about a dollar a day or less.

As an incentive, the federal government is providing 100,000 rupees ($1,650) in life insurance to every account holder.

Dozens of state banks with more than 100,000 branches countrywide are participating.

Some facts and figures about Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana The Canadian Press

D

ENVER.—Colorado’s experience with marijuana legalization is being closely watched as other jurisdictions—including Canada—debate their own drug laws. The state was the first in the U.S. to open recreational pot stores early this year; Washington state has just followed suit.

• Voters in Colorado and Washington state approved legalization in November 2012.

• Sixteen other U.S. states have decriminalized marijuana possession; 23 states and Washington, D.C., allow sales for medical purposes.

• In Colorado, the rules vary widely. Many municipalities have banned recreational pot stores, but not all. Hundreds of older medicalpot stores operate across the state.

• Recreational-sales licences are currently available only to businesses that previously sold medical marijuana.

• Businesses are required to grow their own supply, install security cameras throughout their operations and track every plant, from the soil to the cash register.

• The legal age to buy marijuana in Colorado is 21.

• New cannabis products are proliferating, including vaporizer-style e-joints, cannabis soda and edibles like brownies and pot krispies.

• Colorado introduced new packaging and labelling rules for edible products after some people took ill after eating too much, including children who found their parents’ supply. One college student fell to his death after eating a pot product.

• One recent study found a 25 per cent decrease in deaths from painkiller overdoses in states where medical marijuana is legal, including Colorado.

• The black market still exists; illegal dealers sell at about a one-third discount to legal pot prices. Unlicensed sales remain a felony.

• Recreational pot is taxed at over 30 per cent, including state, local, sales and manufacturer levies. In Denver, one gram can cost more than $20. Since medical-pot taxes are far lower, some medical customers have been reluctant to switch.

• Stores run the gamut from being dimly lit and seedy to having chic decor and iPads for menu-browsing.

• Tax revenues have disappointed so far, in part because medical-pot customers are sticking with the old, lower-tax clinics.

• State revenue from pot was about $30 million in the first six months of this year. Pot revenues account for less than 0.002 per cent of the state budget.

• A 2013 state-government survey on marijuana showed a significant long-term decline in use, despite the proliferation of medical pot.

• The percentage of fatal accidents involving drivers with traces of cannabis in their system nearly doubled from 1994 and 2011, as medical pot became available, according to a University of Colorado study.

• Marijuana stores are mainly cash-only businesses, with ATM machines often available on-site.

• It’s still illegal to smoke pot in public. Hotel guests who leave lingering traces of cannabis odour in their rooms are subject to hefty fines.

World

PAGE 14 • www.OttawaStar.com

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

Dutch government unveils package of measures aimed at clamping down on Muslim radicalization

By The Associated Press

A

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MSTERDAM, Netherlands—The Dutch government unveiled a package of measures August 29 aimed at countering radicalization of Muslims in the country, a day after police announced the arrest of two men suspected of recruiting people to fight in conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

The proposals include beefing up the government’s powers to strip people of their Dutch nationality if they join terrorist organizations overseas or play a role—as teacher or student—in foreign terror training camps.

They also are aimed at countering the spread of extremism online and via social media by tackling Internet providers that knowingly allow terror organizations to spread jihadi propaganda.

“In the Netherlands, there is no room for spreading hate or extremism,’’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government said in a statement.

Justice and Security Minister Ivo Opstelten said about 130 Dutch citizens have already travelled to the Middle East to fight with militants group like Islamic State and al-Qaida and more than 30 have already returned.

The Dutch and other governments around Europe say such returning jihadis—radicalized, hardened by brutal conflict and trained to kill—pose a significant risk to society.

The British government raised its terror threat level from substantial to severe on August 29, meaning that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the decision was related to developments in Iraq and Syria, but that there was no information to suggest an attack was imminent. Some of the plots are likely to involve fighters who have travelled from Britain and Europe to take part in fighting in the Middle East.

In The Hague, Opstelten stressed that radical Muslims in the Netherlands form a “small but dangerous’’ minority in the Muslim population.

There are around 1 million Muslims in the overall Dutch population of 17 million.

Opstelten said local authorities will work with moderate Muslims to tackle the spread of radicalization.

Outspoken anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said the government measures didn’t go far enough. He called them a weak and “politically correct’’ response.

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on a greater burden, according to a report out August 18.

Those costs—food, housing, childcare and education—rose 1.8 per cent over the previous year, the Agriculture Department’s new “Expenditures on Children and Families’’ report said.

As in the past, families in the urban Northeast will spend more than families in the urban South and rural parts of the U.S., or roughly $282,480.

When adjusting for projected inflation, the report found that a child born last year could cost a middle-income family an average of about $304,480.

The USDA’s annual report, based on the government’s Consumer Expenditure Survey, found families were consistent in how they spent their money across all categories from 2012 to 2013. The costs associated with pregnancy or expenses accumulated after a child becomes an adult, such as college tuition, were not included.

In 1960, the first year the report was issued, a middle-income family could spend about $25,230, equivalent to $198,560 in 2013 dollars, to raise a child until the age of 18. Housing costs remain the greatest childrearing expense, as they did in the 1960s, although current-day costs like childcare were negligible back then.

For middle-income families, the USDA found, housing expenses made up roughly 30 per cent of the total cost of raising a child.

Child care and education were the secondlargest expenses, at 18 per cent, followed by food at 16 per cent.

Expenses per child decrease as a family has more children, the report found, as families with three or more children spend 22 per cent less per child than families with two children. That’s because more children share bedrooms, clothing and toys, and food can be purchased in larger, bulk quantities.

Ottawa Star • September 1, 2014

World

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 15

Interpol seeks clues A look at the ransom policies of from 5 countries to US and European governments help solve Thailand ‘baby factory’ case A The Associated Press

look at how the United States and various European nations have dealt with hostage-taking and ransom demands for their citizens in recent years:

By Jocelyn Gecker And Thanyarat Doksone, The Associated Press

B

ANGKOK, Thailand—Interpol said it has launched a multinational investigation into what Thailand has dubbed the “Baby Factory’’ case: a 24-year-old Japanese businessman who has 16 surrogate babies and an alleged desire to father hundreds more.

Police raided a Bangkok condominium earlier this month and found nine babies and nine nannies living in a few unfurnished rooms filled with baby bottles, bouncy chairs, play pens and diapers. They have since identified Mitsutoki Shigeta as the father of those babies - and seven others.

“What I can tell you so far is that I’ve never seen a case like this,’’ said Thailand’s Interpol director, police Maj. Gen. Apichart Suribunya. “We are trying to understand what kind of person makes this many babies.’’

Apichart said that regional Interpol offices in Japan, Cambodia, Hong Kong and India have been asked to probe Shigeta’s background, beginning mid-August.

Police say he appears to have registered businesses or apartments in those countries and has frequently travelled there.

“We are looking into two motives. One is human trafficking and the other is exploitation of children,’’ said Thai police Lt. Gen. Kokiat Wongvorachart, Thailand’s lead investigator in the case. He said Shigeta made 41 trips to Thailand since 2010. On many occasions he travelled to nearby Cambodia, where he brought four of his babies.

Shigeta has not been charged with any crime. He is trying to get his children back - the 12 in Thailand are being cared for by social services - and he has proven through DNA samples sent from Japan that he is their biological father. He quickly left Thailand after the Aug. 5 raid on the condominium and has said through a lawyer that he simply wanted a large family and has the means to support it.

Kokiat said Shigeta hired 11 Thai surrogate mothers to carry his children, including four sets of twins.

Police have not determined the biological mothers, Kokiat said.

The founder of a multinational fertility clinic that provided Shigeta with two surrogate mothers said she warned Interpol about him even before the first baby was born in June 2013.

“As soon as they got pregnant he requested more. He said he wanted 10 to 15 babies a year, and that he wanted to continue the baby-making process until he’s dead,’’ said Mariam Kukunashvili, founder of the New Life clinic, which is based in Thailand and six other countries.

He also inquired about equipment to freeze his sperm to have sufficient supply when he’s older, she said in a telephone interview from Mexico.

As for Shigeta’s motives, Kukunashvili said he told the clinic’s manager that “he wanted to win elections and could use his big family for voting,’’ and that “the best thing I can do for the world is to leave many children.’’ Kukunashvili declined The Associated Press’ request to talk to the clinic manager.

Kukunashvili, who is based at the company’s headquarters in the country of Georgia, said she never met Shigeta but received reports from her Thai staff.

She said that in April 2013, she sent faxes in English and French to Interpol’s head office in Lyon, France, and an email through the agency’s website, but they went unanswered.

Apichart of Interpol in Thailand said the local office never saw the warnings. An Interpol spokesman in Lyon did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Kukunashvili also sent Shigeta an email to express suspicion, and attorney Ratpratan Tulatorn responded on his behalf in an Aug. 31, 2013, email that the clinic owner provided to the AP. The attorney said Shigeta was involved in “no dishonesty, no illegal activities.’’ He said his client hoped to keep using New Life, but the company then stopped working with him.

“These are legal babies, they all have birth certificates,’’ Ratpratan told Thailand’s Channel 3 television station. “There are assets purchased under these babies’ names. There are savings accounts for these babies, and investments. If he were to sell these babies, why would he give them these benefits?’’

UNITED STATES U.S. policy prohibits government negotiation with terrorists, including paying ransom demands. Technically, family members or employers of captives could be prosecuted for paying ransom on charges of providing support to terrorists, although the government is wrestling with whether that should be changed.

BELGIUM Belgium is widely thought to negotiate and pay ransoms if needed to free its citizens, even though the government in Brussels routinely denies ransom payments.

A Belgian writer, Pierre Piccinin da Prata, was released from captivity in Syria last September alongside an Italian journalist, Domenico Quirico of La Stampa, but neither Belgium or Italy commented on the circumstances of their release. In another incident, five aid workers held captive in Syria for several months, including a Belgian national, were released in May. Neither the aid group Doctors Without Borders nor the governments involved discussed details of the negotiations leading to their release.

BRITAIN Unlike some European countries, Britain doesn’t become involved in ransom negotiations, said Nigel Inkster, the director of transnational threats and political risk at IISS in London. But the government has not sought to prevent ransom payments on a private basis. ``That is something qualitatively different,’’ Inkster said. ``When the government takes ownership, it invests the whole thing with a political significance.’’

FRANCE France says it does not pay ransoms. In April, when President Francois Hollande welcomed home French journalist Nicolas Henin, he insisted that France honoured its policy of not paying ransoms saying ``it’s a very important principle.’’ French companies whose staff have been released after being taken hostage in Africa also deny unsourced accusations that they paid ransoms. However it is widely believed that funds may end up in terror coffers through middlemen.

GERMANY The official line is that Germany doesn’t pay ransoms. A foreign ministry official, speaking

on condition of anonymity, referred The Associated Press to Germany’s support for Security Council resolution 2133, which calls on member states to ``prevent terrorists from benefiting directly or indirectly from ransom payments.’’

German media have reported, however, that payments are sometimes made by the employers or family of a kidnap victim, or in the form of development aid for the country or region where the kidnapping took place. The official declined to comment on this.

ITALY Italy is on record with a 2013 G-8 statement as ``’unequivocally’’ rejecting ransom payments to terrorists. In the mid-2000s, then Premier Silvio Berlusconi reiterated his government’s denial that the country had paid millions of euros to free Italian hostages in Iraq. But it is widely thought that Italy has paid ransoms for its citizens’ freedom. The head of the Italian aid organization Emergency claimed the Italian government, then led by Romano Prodi, had paid $2 million in 2006 to the Taliban for the freedom of a kidnapped Italian photographer in Afghanistan. Prodi didn’t deny the claim - instead he said the negotiations were carried out following procedures put into place by the previous, Berlusconi-led government.

POLAND Poland denies paying ransom or negotiating with terrorists. Two Poles held hostage in Iraq were freed in raids 10 years ago.

NORDIC COUNTRIES Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland have said it’s their policy not to pay ransom for hostages. Whether it has happened or not is unclear. Some reports have detailed ransom payments dropped in bags from planes into the sea for Somali pirates. One group of four adults and three children from Denmark were kidnapped on Feb. 24, 2011 in their sailboat as they crossed the Indian Ocean. They were released after about five months, allegedly after a ransom of $3 million was paid.

SPAIN Spain has never either confirmed or denied that ransoms have been paid but Spanish media have often reported on payments for some releases of kidnap victims.

The Foreign Ministry says the government uses ``maximum discretion’’ when dealing with kidnapping cases and declined comment on whether a ransom was paid for a reporter and photographer released in March after six months’ captivity in Syria. In a court case involving the hijacking of a fishing vessel by pirates off Somalia in 2009, Spain’s National Court said a government-linked body had paid a ransom of several million, although the foreign minister at the time had denied that any ransom had been paid.

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