Historians from Japan, China meet to meld views on history

Together with events such as Japanese Americans beginning an annual memorial of the Nanjing Massacre, as well as an independent documentary Nanking, plus the efforts reported by the following article that China and Japan finally sit down and sort out their differences in interpretating history, are all signs that wounds might eventually have a chance to heal. It'd be nice to see Korean historians join the discussion too. A friend of mine is a PhD candidate in modern Chinese history. She said a keen academic interest in cross-studying China-Korea, China-Japan, Japan-Korea relations is rising rapidly in recent years.

If Christians and Muslims can sit down and chat calmly about their differences and their perceptions of history, perhaps we are on the road to a more peaceful world. But where are the insightful leaders?

Japan, China panel to discuss melding views on history

The Associated Press

Japanese and Chinese experts will meet in Beijing next week to discuss how to bring their historical understandings more in line, officials said Monday.

Experts from both sides will have their first meeting Dec. 26-27 in Beijing, the Japanese government announced. Each side will have 10 experts on the panel.

The meeting is part of an effort to resolve conflicts between the two nations over the interpretation of Japan's invasion and occupation of parts of China before and during World War II. Chinese have frequently claimed that Japanese schools whitewash the nation's militarist past.

But the discussions would also delve into ancient history and touch on sensitive issues in recent Chinese history, including the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square protests.

"Since it covers modern history, I think there will be a broad discussion," Japanese government spokesman Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.

The Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers agreed last month to conduct a joint study of their disputed wartime history and issue results by the end of 2008.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and his Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing, decided to set up two teams of experts to study ancient, wartime and modern history.

Relations between the two Asian giants had been strained by territorial disputes and visits by Japanese leaders to a Tokyo shrine that many see as a symbol of Japan's pre-1945 militarism.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Beijing soon after assuming office in September to try to mend the rifts, and the two governments have vowed to cooperate more closely on resolving their differences.

Abe told reporters Monday that it is a "positive thing" for both countries that experts will discuss history in a calm manner. "It is important that experts will conduct their academic discussions about various misunderstandings," he said.

Tags: china, japan, WWII, war, militarism, aggression, nanjing massacre, nanking massacre

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China looks to Canada for guidance on ethnic harmony

This is really a big step forward, just by having China admitting to having a problem of ethnic disharmony. This is a time I'm most proudly to be a Canadian, and a Chinese. China's social policies and political reform may not be moving fast enough keeping pace with the economy boom, at least there is optimism laying there (as me always being an optimist :P) The following story is from the Globe and Mail.

Canada: China's muse on ethnic harmony
Academics compare 'inclusion' strategies

GEOFFREY YORK

BEIJING -- Faced with mounting inequality and rising street protests, China is turning to Canada as a source of ideas on how to defuse ethnic conflicts and build a social safety net.

At a conference in Beijing recently, Chinese academics and government officials have been collaborating with Canadian scholars to study a range of Canadian social policies that could have lessons for China.

The conference on "social inclusion" is the latest sign of China's anxieties about the country's skyrocketing social discord.

At the Beijing conference, Chinese participants struggling with those problems are looking for help in Canada's immigration and aboriginal policies, social and environmental programs, education and health systems, fiscal federalism and even its religious diversity and bilingualism.

"Canada and China are both multiethnic countries and Canadian policy has a strong influence on the world," Chinese official Gao Quanli told the conference on its opening day.

Hao Shiyuan, a senior member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China needs to recognize that its ethnic and cultural diversity is "a great resource" for its future. "Cultural diversity is not a reason for conflict, it's the basis of our peace," he told the conference.

Under its latest official strategy, China is vowing to build a "harmonious society," a more inclusive and tolerant regime.

Instead of brutally suppressing every protest, the government wants to recognize the legitimacy of some of them.

"China faces challenges in which discordant and conflicting voices can be heard, and this calls for careful study," Mr. Gao said.

Wang Bing, vice-president of the Association for Canadian Studies in China, said there is plenty for China to learn from Canada.

"We share lots of similarities in ethnic issues, and we can learn a lot from Canada's multiculturalism policy," he said in an interview.

"We have similar problems, including ethnic nationalism and conflicts. We need to maintain social stability, and that means dealing with ethnic people and treating them fairly.

"In those areas, I think Canada is doing much better. It could give us a lesson in how to avoid the problems."

Yan Hao, a senior researcher at a Chinese central planning agency, believes that Canada's bilingualism policies could be a model for China's minority regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang.

"Officially we have a bilingual requirement in those regions, but in practice the people don't care enough about it," he said in an interview.

He recalled being on an airplane in Xinjiang where the announcements were in Chinese and English -- ignoring the language of the Uighurs, the traditional people of Xinjiang.

"A lot of the passengers were Uighur people, and there weren't any foreigners on board, and yet the announcements were in English instead of Uighur. If I had been a Uighur, I would have been disappointed. Most of the policy makers are [the majority] Han Chinese and they are not sensitive enough on these points."

The Canadian scholars, meanwhile, were hoping to deliver a diplomatic message about the need for dialogue and tolerance, rather than repression, in society.

Others, however, held out little hope that China's top decision makers would get the message.

"Most of this audience has travelled abroad and many of them have lived in Canada and they probably know exactly what's going on outside," said Bernard Frolic, a York University expert on Canada-China relations.

"But they have limited power to affect policy in China."

Tags: china, canada, ethnic harmony, multiculturalism, social inclusion, inequality

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Ottawa, Ontario reveals settlement money spending plan

Settlement cash set to flow

A year after signing a joint agreement on $920 million in new immigrant-settlement funding, Ottawa and Ontario yesterday finally revealed their plan to fix a fragmented system that has fallen woefully short of evolving needs.

The five-year plan promises to better co-ordinate settlement services, boost language training and encourage partnerships between cities, agencies, businesses and community groups "to integrate newcomers in the economic and social life" of the places they choose to live.

Yesterday's announcement means the money promised by Ottawa 13 months ago under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement is finally flowing in, with $182 million pledged to Ontario for 2007.

"Newcomers were not doing as well as they had in the past years without the access to language, literacy and career training," Immigration Minister Monte Solberg told a roomful of immigrants at the Brampton Multicultural Community Centre.

"We saw the average income for newcomers falling like a stone. That's unacceptable."

For years, director Ahmed Iqbal and his settlement workers at the centre have struggled to serve a growing influx of immigrants with flatlined government funding — a challenge faced by all of the suburban regions.

But Iqbal was all smiles at yesterday's announcement by Solberg and his Ontario counterpart, Mike Colle.

"The immigrant community in Brampton and Mississauga has grown by leaps and bounds, but their needs were not reflected in the settlement resources we'd received over the years," said Iqbal, whose group will get an extra $1 million to strengthen language programs and hire job developers and counsellors — roles that fell to volunteers.

"This is a much more balanced approach. Resources should go to where the needs are."

The plan calls for:

• A flexible, accessible and co-ordinated settlement service system that reaches out to newcomers through schools, one-stop newcomer centres, and partnerships with libraries, colleges and organizations.
• A comprehensive language system to help newcomers become competent in English or French more quickly, equivalent to high school graduation level, and an occupation-specific language training system through colleges and employment training agencies.
• Enhanced partnerships, especially among municipalities, employers and industries.

Ontario gets 140,000 newcomers a year and about half of them settle in Toronto. Over the past three years, 19 per cent — just under 75,000 — chose Peel as their first home; 8.4 per cent (32,000) chose York, 1.8 per cent (7,000) Halton and 1.5 per cent (5,800) Durham.

Advocates and politicians in the 905 regions have complained for years about the disparities in funding for settlement services in their areas compared with Toronto.

Calling the plan "a most important breakthrough," Colle praised the federal Conservatives for honouring an agreement signed by the former Liberal government.

Solberg "is here today to reaffirm that there's a new day dawning right in Ontario, in terms of investing in our most valuable human resource — that's our people that are coming here from so many different countries," he said.

Stephen Lam, director of Catholic Community Services of York Region, said flexibility is a key factor in providing services in the sprawling 905 regions, where newcomers need to travel long distances to get help.

"We need a co-ordinated case-management system to assist our newcomers in (everything) from housing to school, language and jobs — in a timely manner," said Lam, whose agency will get $500,000 in 2007.

Tags: canada, ontario, ottawa, immigration settlement, immigrant settlement, language training, new immigrants, immigration

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Historic settlement for school abuse victims

Best story lately!!! Yeah!! I'm so touched!

Historic settlement for school abuse victims

TORONTO (CP) — What's been dubbed the largest and most complicated class-action settlement in Canadian history has been settled in favour of the thousands of abused former students of Canada's controversial aboriginal residential school system.

The decade-old dispute with the federal government largely came to an end yesterday after judges in six provinces and the Yukon gave the settlement their stamp of approval, leaving Nunavut and the Northwest Territories as the only jurisdictions left to approve the deal.

"I think that people are very happy that the courts have unanimously endorsed the settlement as fair and reasonable," said Jon Faulds, an Alberta lawyer who's part of a national consortium of lawyers representing the victims.

"It's the first time in Canadian history that so many courts have been involved in the approval of a class-action settlement. It's an enormous challenge and I think, apart from anything else, it should be hats off to the courts for having found a way to make this work."

While there are about 10,500 individual cases currently before the courts and some 3,000 more in a government alternative dispute resolution program, there's an estimated 80,000 people in total who are entitled to benefits.

The settlement includes a "common experience" payment of, on average, $24,000 which will be available to all former students who were ripped away from their families and sent to various institutions across the country.

The estimated 12,000 to 20,000 people who suffered physical and sexual abuse will be eligible for an additional $5,000 to $275,000 each and could get even more if they can show a loss of income.

While all the judges approved the basic provisions of the settlement, some identified a variety of "administrative wrinkles" that will need to be ironed out before the cash begins to flow.

"They are mostly about making sure the court has adequate powers to supervise the settlement as it's being implemented," Faulds said. "The courts want to make sure that adequate resources are devoted to the process to make sure that all of the claims are processed very quickly."

As with any class action lawsuit, there's a two-month window for parties to appeal the court judgment. Toronto lawyer Craig Brown, however, said none are expected in this case.

"We believe that compensation for the wrongs committed in the Indian residential school system will start to flow in the middle of next year," Brown said. "And that's great, great news for everybody."

Brown said judges in the territories need a bit more time to write up their decisions because of the travelling they're required to do in their daily work. They're likely to complete their judgments over the holidays and submit them to the court in early January.

The deal also includes $125 million for the aboriginal healing fund, $60 million for a truth and reconciliation process to document the history and legacy of government-run Indian residential schools and $20 million for commemorative projects.

The most controversial aspect of the settlement is an estimated $100 million set aside for legal fees.

When all is said and done, it's expected the federal government will have forked over as much as $5 billion in restitution.

Tags: canada, aboriginal, abuse, residential school, reconciliation, class action, settlement

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30,000 overseas specialists to be introduced to China in 2007

30,000 overseas specialists to be introduced next year

BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China next year is to introduce 30,000 overseas specialists that the country is most in need of but also is in great shortage, according to the Ministry of Personnel.

"The government is to fund the introduction of 10,000 economic and technical specialists and 20,000 educational, health and scientific specialists in 2007," said Minister of Personnel Zhang Bolin.

Zhang said China should further explore international intelligence resources which has provided strong support to the country's overall development.

China has recruited a total of 400,000 specialists from overseas, Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan, and has dispatched nearly 40,000 qualified personnel to study overseas.

The Chinese government will fund 10,000 Chinese talents to go and study overseas in 2007, Zhang said.

He calls for more preferential policies for returning students from overseas study so as to draw more Chinese students back to the motherland.

Since 1978, more than 400,000 Chinese students have studied abroad, with more than 100,000 returning to the country over the last two decades.

Official statistics show that government scholarships have allowed 26,658 Chinese to go and study overseas since 1996, and 97 percent of them returned to China after completing study.

Most students go to top notch universities and research institutes in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada.

Tags: china, canada, specialists, talents, overseas students, study abroad

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My respect to the Japanese who recognize history

Check out more books about the Rape of Nanjing
and the Sino-Japanese war here.

I'm so happy reading that Japanese Americans in San Francisco have initiated an annual memorial for the Nanjing Massacre. This is a very very important step forward. I really hope that activities like this could help bring more Americans to understanding the atrocities we Chinese had suffered.

2007 will mark the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.

Thank you David for the great link.

Nanking Massacre Remembered in SF's Japantown
From the Nichi Bei Times Weekly December 14, 2006

By KENJI G. TAGUMA
Nichi Bei Times

An annual memorial service to remember the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Chinese by the Japanese Imperial Army in one city during the Sino-Japanese War was held in San Francisco’s Japantown on Dec. 9.

The Nanjing Ji, which honors the victims of rape and murder in the then-city of Nanking, China, was held in the Issei Memorial Hall of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. In attendance among the nearly 300-person standing room-only crowd were more than two dozen students from local high schools.

During an eight-week period beginning in December of 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army committed numerous atrocities, such as rape, looting, arson and the brutal execution of prisoners of war and civilians.

Chinese historians say that 300,000 Chinese were killed in Nanking, now known as Nanjing, while Japanese researchers place the figure between 100,000 and 200,000.

"We all want to work together towards a peaceful world for our children," said San Francisco Superior Court Judge Lillian Sing, the founding co-chair of the Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition, one of the event’s three sponsoring organizations in addition to the Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia and the Alliance for preserving the Truth of the Sino-Japanese War. "But Japan must admit Japan was wrong. If Japan publicly apologized, and paid reparations, we welcome (it) and we would work with Japan to allow Japan to get into the United Nations Security Council even."

Japan has coveted the UN Security Council seat, but was met with resistance from advocates of victims of its wartime atrocities, who last year circulated an online petition against Japan’s bid that garnered millions of signatures worldwide.

"In court, when someone commits a crime, a murder, that person is punished, that person is tried…and sentenced accordingly," said the long-time judge. "Japan…still refuses to apologize."

Among those speaking were the Rev. Amos Brown of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, a former member of the city’s Board of Supervisors.

The 69th anniversary of the Rape of Nanking was also dedicated to other atrocities around the world.

"We are here today to say we will not forget Nanjing," said Rev. Brown. "We will not forget the middle passage that brought my forebears here as slaves in America. We shall not forget the Holocaust. And we shall not forget…a form of massacre against people who happen to be women, who happen to be gay, who happen to be just different."

Those sentiments were echoed by California State Controller Steve Westly, who disclosed that his father was in China in the late 1930s and personally saw what had happened in Nanjing.

"I'm here as the chief financial officer of California…to formally call upon the government of the state of Japan to formally recognize the atrocities committed by that government against the people of China," said Westly, whose wife Anita Yu Westly is a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong. "If we do not remember the history of our elders, we are not only doomed to repeat it, but we disrespect those who lost their lives."

A proclamation by Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose grandfather is said to have died as a result of the Japanese atrocities in the Philippines, was read that declared it "Nanking Remembrance Day in San Francisco."

Newly-elected District 4 Supervisor Ed Jew, the only Asian American on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, expressed the need to educate younger generations so that they don’t forget history. "Teach them the importance of what happened," he urged. He committed himself to introduce a resolution on the atrocities at the Board of Supervisors.

'Apology' Debated

Peter Stanek, the chair of the Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition, laid out the organization’s two principle objectives: secure a formal governmental apology from the government of Japan for the atrocities committed by the Imperial Army in World War II, and to affect a "meaningful program of repayments" to the victims.

But according to Japanese government officials, an apology was made in a 1995 statement by then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.

The statement read, in part: "During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war, only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis, and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations."

Murayama’s statement continued, "In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future, I regard, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable facts of history, and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology."

On Aug. 15, 2005, then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a similar statement, saying, "I once again express my feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology, and also express the feelings of mourning for all victims, both at home and abroad, in the war."

But redress advocates say that the statements do not fully represent the people of Japan, since it did not have the backing of the Japanese Diet.

"Our position is that the Japanese government has not apologized because the government has not passed a resolution through the Diet to apologize," said Sing. "The prime minister’s apology is a personal apology, and it’s not sufficient for the crimes that Japan committed during World War II."

At the celebration of the U.S.-Japan Peace Treaty in 2001, the consul general of Japan in San Francisco at the time addressed that issue.

"The prime minister represents the cabinet, the cabinet represents the parliament (Diet), the parliament represents the people," said then-Consul General Nobuaki Tanaka. "So this is how Japan works, which is different from the United States."

The current consul general could not be reached in time for comment.

Sing noted that in contrast to Germany, which has paid billions of dollars to its Holocaust victims in the state of Israel, Japan "has not paid one cent, one yen" to its Chinese victims.

On its Website, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) argues that both Japan and Germany have dealt with their historical issues "in good faith."

"Germany took the approach of personal compensation as it could not deal collectively with countries concerning various issues including reparations as Japan did, since Germany was divided into East and West following the war," the MOFA Website stated. "In this way, Japan and Germany have dealt with postwar settlement by different approaches."

Japan argues it is bound by the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty. While allowing for reparations to several countries that were victim to its military aggression, the treaty did not officially recognize the People’s Republic of China as a party to reparations.

That was settled, the Japanese government says, with a "Joint Communiqu�" of the governments of both China and Japan in 1972. It stated, among other things, that the "Government of the People’s Republic of China declares that in the interest of the friendship between the Chinese and the Japanese people, it renounces its demand for war reparation from Japan."

The Chinese government "sold us out," Sing said, calling the communiqu� "very unfortunate."

"China was very weak in those days," she explained. "(But) it never signed away the rights of the citizens, that’s how a lot of us feel."

In regards to Nanking, the Japanese government said it believes "it cannot be denied" that "the killing of a large number of noncombatants, looting and other acts" occurred there.

Japanese American Involvement

The movement for redress for victims of Japanese military atrocities was supported by some of the Japanese American community’s civil rights icons, who have since passed on.

"We are actually invoking the founding father and mother of the Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition," said Sing, naming founding RNRC co-chair Dr. Clifford Uyeda, a human and civil rights activist, and Japanese American redress activist Tsuyako "Sox" Kitashima, a past RNRC board member.

Sing also mentioned the support of honorary RNRC Co-Chair Fred Korematsu, who refused to be forcibly relocated during World War II and whose legal case is studied by law students across the country.

While in the state Assembly, now-Congressman Mike Honda introduced a resolution that eventually passed, which condemned the Japanese military atrocities.

The Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District Council of the Japanese American Citizens League also passed a resolution supporting the calls for a "clear apology" and reparations.

Speaking at the Dec. 9 event was Daro Inouye, a deputy public defender and supporter of redress efforts.

"The cause of this atrocity, genocide that is occurring right now, is a disease that lies dormant in all of us," said Inouye. "It is a disease that passes from human being to human being, from country to country. And it’s always there unless we reveal it, we combat it, and we fight it. For you young people, that disease is racism.

"Racism on a human level is what causes individuals to do atrocities, to kill people, be it in Darfur, be it Pol Pot (in Cambodia), be it in Nanjing," Inouye added. "Fight racism on all fronts, at all times. Because if you don’t, human atrocities will continue."

"The Japanese American community has always worked hand in hand with us to fight for civil rights issues," declared Sing, to applause from the audience.

Sing recognized the sensitive nature of the issue in the Japanese American community, but argued that there’s a clear distinction.

"The Japanese Americans are American first," she argued. "They have nothing to do with the atrocities that were committed by the Imperial Government of Japan during World War II."

Victims Speak

The event also included the voices of victims of the Japanese military atrocities. "I was arrested by MP in Shanghai when I was in junior high," said Helen Song through a translator, fighting back tears. "My parents were tortured."

Song, who currently lives in San Jose, urged an economic boycott of Japanese goods. "Sixty-nine years have passed…we can no longer wait," she added. "Stop buying Japanese merchandise and tell your friends of Japanese descent what happened in the past."

In a video testimony, Jean Chan recalled her own experience in China.

"We hid behind the bushes, and when I looked through the bushes I saw two Japanese soldiers, they were holding bayonets and pointing at the bushes," recalled Chan. "They shouted ‘where are you hiding? I was so scared and I had nightmares for years and years after," said an emotional Chan.

Looking Forward

"The Rape of Nanking," as it came to be known, was brought to international attention by the best-selling book of the same name by Iris Chang. The parents of the late author attended the Nanjing Ji event to present three scholarships in the name of their daughter. Nearly 300 essays from 43 states were submitted in the contest addressing the impact of Chang’s book on the contestant’s life.

With the 70th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre set for next year, there are currently three films about the dark period of history planned, including a film based on Chang’s book.

Sing hopes to get more Japanese Americans involved in support the call for redress.

"Personally, I would like to come and speak to different organizations in the Japanese American community to talk about working together for peace, to put behind this very sensitive issue," Sing told the Nichi Bei Times.

Sing is concerned with the rising anti-Japanese sentiment in China stemming from unresolved war issues, saying it has the potential "to get out of hand."

While recognizing individual payments may be merely symbolic, since most of the actual victims have perished, Sing thinks that reparations can mean anything from a monument to an institution to educate.

"The most important thing to me is an apology and to educate the citizens of Japan so they know what had happened," she said.

Such efforts can have benefits for Japan, Sing explained.

"In order for Japan to lead, she has to have the respect of the Asian neighbors," Sing said. "Unless she apologizes, her Asian neighbors will not respect her."

Links:
The memorial hall of the victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese invaders
Canada ALPHA

Tags: china, japan, WWII, nanjing massacre, rape of nanjing, nanking, nanking massacre, militarism

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Canada warns immigration visa-selling fraud

Citizenship and Immigration Canada issued the following rare fraud warning yesterday.

Fraud Advisory Warning!

Attention all Visa and Work Permit Applicants: Citizenship and Immigration Canada has learned that Visa and Work Permit applicants may be tricked into buying false documents. In several cases, apparently, the victims are offered high-paying jobs in Canadian hotels or on offshore ships.

Please note that valid documents can only be obtained through the Canadian High Commission or embassy in your country and Visa fees can only be processed through the High Commission or the local Canadian Consulate.

CIC spokesperson in Ottawa Melanie Carkner said recent reports of fraud victims are all from the Nigeria area.

She said many victims were willing to pay large sum of money for a Canadian immigration visa and were also guaranteed to get high-pay jobs in Canadian registered cruise ships and Canadian hotels.

Although all the victims reported are from Africa, Carkner said this kind of fraud can happen in any where in the world.

Tags: canada, fraud, visa, immigration, immigrants

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Vancouver ranks second highest in apartment rent, just after Toronto

	Vacancy Rate		Average Rent Two-Bedroom for New and Existing Structures
	Rental condo apts	Conv. mkt apts	Rental condo apts	Conv. mkt apts	Secondary rental mkt, excl. condo
	%	%	$	$	$
Montréal	2.8	2.7	970	636	596
Québec	1.2	1.5	844	637	N/A
Ottawa	1	2.3	1,048	941	N/A
Toronto	0.4	3.2	1,487	1,067	1,096
Calgary	0.7	0.5	1,257	960	N/A
Edmonton	0.6	1.2	908	808	N/A
Vancouver	0.4	0.7	1,273	1,045	932

According to a report just released by the CMHC, Vancouver has the country's third lowest rental apartment vacancy rate, meaning that getting a rental place in Vancouver remains keen despite of the jump in new units construction in recent years.



The report says:

The centres with the highest vacancy rates in 2006 were Windsor (10.4 per cent), Saint John (NB) (6.8 per cent), and St. John’s (NFLD) (5.1 per cent). On the other hand, the major urban centres with the lowest vacancy rates were Calgary (0.5 per cent), Victoria (0.5 per cent), and Vancouver (0.7 per cent).

In British Columbia, vacancy rates declined in Vancouver (down 0.7 of a percentage point to 0.7 per cent) and Abbotsford (down 1.8 percentage points to 2.0 per cent) between October 2005 and October 2006, but were unchanged in Victoria (0.5 per cent). The rapid growth of British Columbia’s population and the higher cost of homeownership continue to fuel strong rental demand. For a third year, Victoria remains one of the tightest metropolitan rental markets in Canada.

On the other hand, the highest average monthly rents for two-bedroom apartments in new and existing structures were in Toronto ($1,067) and Vancouver ($1,045), followed by Calgary ($960) and Ottawa ($941). The lowest average monthly rents for two-bedroom apartments in new and existing structures were in Trois-Rivières ($488) and Saguenay ($485).

The report also says:

With the release of its 2006 Rental Market Survey, CMHC has broadened its coverage of the rental market to include apartment condominiums offered for rent in the following centres: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, and Québec. In 2006, vacancy rates for rental condominium apartments were at or below one per cent in five of the seven centres surveyed. Rental condominiums in Vancouver and Toronto had the lowest vacancy rate at 0.4 per cent. On the other hand, Québec and Montréal registered the highest vacancy rates for condominium apartments at 1.2 per cent and 2.8 per cent in 2006, respectively. The survey showed that vacancy rates for rental condominium apartments in 2006 were lower than vacancy rates in the conventional rental market in all the surveyed centres, except Montréal and Calgary. The highest average monthly rents for two-bedroom condominium apartments were in Toronto ($1,487), Vancouver ($1,273), and Calgary ($1,257). All surveyed centres posted average monthly rents for two-bedroom condominium apartments that were higher than average monthly rents for two-bedroom private apartments in the conventional rental market in 2006.

In Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, the scope of CMHC’s Rental Market Survey was further extended to gather information on monthly rents in dwelling types2 other than private apartments and condominium apartments such as duplexes and accessory apartments. The results showed that the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom unit in the secondary rental market was lower than the average rent in both the conventional and condominium apartment markets in Montréal and Vancouver. In Toronto, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom unit in the secondary rental market was slightly higher than in the conventional rental market.

Tags: canada, vancouver, housing, rental market, rental apartment, rent, vacancy rate, toronto, montreal, cmhc

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Faces of Hong Kong 5 - Guanyin Temple on Temple Street, Kowloon

This is my first time ever entering the ancient Guanyin Temple on Temple Street in Yaumati, Kowloon, Hong Kong. I was surprised why I never wanted to visit such an interesting place. My dad's answer: You saw entering a temple as superstitious and rejected such places.

Oh, was I like that?

Anyway, I'm so thankful that the temple people allowed me to shoot how many pictures I wished to. And I just LOVE those gigantic insense!

I know that a lot of temples -- in Hong Kong or China -- do not allow photography, especially inside the worshipping hall. I guess I'm very lucky today.

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

Tags: hong kong, photo, temple, guanyin temple

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Canada extends off-campus work program to include students in private institutions

From CIC's press release:

OTTAWA, December 14, 2006 — The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced that Canada's New Government will begin discussions with interested provinces and territories to expand the Off-Campus Work Permit program to include private institutions on a pilot basis.

As a result of the pilot, foreign students studying at approximately 75 additional institutions could be eligible to apply for off-campus work permits. The program, which allows international students at post-secondary institutions to work off-campus, is currently available only to students at publicly funded universities and colleges.

"International students contribute to Canada’s intellectual and academic environment, and make our university and college campuses centres of rich and diverse cultural exchange," said Minister Solberg. "The proposed expansion gives the Canadian educational system a competitive advantage for attracting the best and brightest from around the world."

To ensure appropriate controls, the pilot project will apply only to programs and institutions recognized or authorized by the provinces and territories to confer degrees. Provinces and territories interested in participating in the pilot project will need to negotiate memoranda of understanding with the private schools in their jurisdiction and monitor the implementation of the program.

After a series of successful provincial pilot projects at public institutions, Minister Solberg launched the Off-Campus Work Permit program nationally on April 27, 2006. Over 8,300 international students have already benefited from the initiative. Prior to the introduction of this program, these students were restricted to holding jobs on the campus of the educational institution at which they were studying.

"We want to help more international students get the Canadian work experience they need to adjust to life in Canada, particularly if they wish to stay. These students will be part of a significant labour pool from which regions facing labour shortages could draw. This is a win-win measure – helping students and helping the community," concluded the Minister.

Tags: canada, cic, foreign students, visa students, off-campus work, private educational institutions, international students, private schools

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340,000 immigrants can't get credentials recognized, landmark study says

A recent report tells us that foreign credentials of 340,000 Canadians or permanent residents of visible minorities have not been recognized, and Canada is losing $4.1b every year because of that.

CIC accepts about 90,000 skilled workers every year. So the number of immigrants who could not have their credentials recognized equals to an skilled worker inventory of 4 years.

The report was a one-year work dubbed "INCLUSIVE, ACCESSIBLE AND RELEVANT WORKPLACE LEARNING: A Position Paper On Visible Minorities And Workplace Literacy", and was completed by the National Visible Minority Council on Labour Force Development.

One of the stunning conclusions this report has made is that "racism and discrimination continue to be identified as a contributing factor to the unemployment and underemployment of visible minorities and their lack of advancement in the workplace."

Visible minorities have higher education than Canadian-born, but immigrants are less fortunate:

Visible minorities are faced with a multitude of socio-economic inequities. Even though studies have shown that attaining post-secondary education is a critical component of professional development and workplace success in Canada, educated visible minorities continue to have higher unemployment rates than the total population. Statistics show that 47.5% of Canadian-born, visible minority workers, aged 25 to 34, have completed university, compared to 26.6% of Canadian born, non-visible minority workers.

But immigrant unemployment rate is much higher than national average. Immigrants obviously have not enjoyed the economic prosperity and low employment rate other Canadians have been enjoying these years.

However, the national immigrant unemployment rate hovers around 30% while the national unemployment rate remains steady at around 7%. Whether Canadian-born or immigrant, visible minorities' access to the labour market can be challenging. In addition, even when gainfully employed, a glass ceiling often prevents advancement for visible minorities.

The natural consequence of ramping unemployment rates is poverty:

It is not surprising, therefore, that the 2001 Statistics Canada census reported that 36% of all visible minority persons in Canada lived in poverty in comparison to 20% of the Canadian population.



The percentage of unattached visible minorities living in poverty was recently polled at 52.9% compared to the national rate of 38%. The percentage of visible minority families living in poverty was 26% compared to the national average of 12.9%. One in five visible minorities with post-secondary education are among the poorest 20% of the nation's population. In such cases, attaining post secondary education has not had a positive impact on economic independence.

The report writers blame the failure of foreign credentials recognition as the heart of all problems:

The higher rate of poverty in visible minority communities is due, in part, to 340,000 ready, able and well-educated individuals being unable to access the labour market. The problem is that their credentials were earned outside Canada and are not recognized by employers, sector councils, government accreditation bodies and human resources departments in this country. In addition to this colossal loss of human resource potential, the non-recognition of foreign credentials represents an annual, national, economic loss of $2.7 to $4.1 billion in earnings.

The report says newer immigrants are earning less and less than their predecessors, which is an alarming situation.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are being made to relevant stakeholders for discussion
and action:

A) Developing a National Workplace Learning Strategy for Visible Minorities

(1) NVMCLFD recommends that:

• The Government of Canada, in consultation with NVMCLFD and other relevant stakeholders develop a National Visible Minority Workplace Learning Strategy that takes into consideration local differences and community needs.
• The Government of Canada provides the necessary funding to implement this National Strategy at a level that will meet future challenges due to demographic changes and labour market skill shortages.

B) Addressing the Needs of Visible Minorities
(2) NVMCLFD recommends that the Provinces and the Government of Canada, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, respond to the specific training needs of visible minorities in the workplace.

(3) NVMCLFD recommends that the Provinces and the Government of Canada make an ongoing commitment to funding a comprehensive approach to language training programs for visible minorities in the workplace, that include both advanced levels as well as basic level literacy training.

(4) NVMCLFD recommends that:

• Sector Councils, the Provinces, and the Government of Canada recognize the plight of the many visible minorities who work in certain seasonal and casual construction, manufacturing, mining, agricultural industries andbaddress their needs for workplace training; and
• All levels of government, unions and employers ensure that seasonal and casual workers are covered under provincial and federal labour codes in order to protect their basic rights as workers.

(5) NVMCLFD recommends that Sector Councils, the Provinces, and the Government of Canada recognize that many visible minorities and immigrants work in non-unionized workplaces.

(6) NVMCLFD recommends that Chambers of Commerce, Business Councils, Sector Councils, Provinces and the Government of Canada undertake an initiative to provide bridging opportunities for the many visible minority immigrants who are prevented from obtaining employment commensurate with their qualifications due primarily to a lack of Canadian experience.

(7) NVMCLFD recommends that:

• The Provinces and the Government of Canada, in particular HRSDC and NLS, ensure workplace learning programs are funded on a long term and sustainable basis; and
• Funding selection and allocation criteria be made public and transparent.

C) Involving Employers

• The Chambers of Commerce, the Provinces, the Government of Canada and other related stakeholders implement a nation wide program to educate;
• Employers, particularly small and medium size businesses on the economic and social advantages of offering workplace learning programs; and
• The Provinces and the Government of Canada develop tax and other incentive for businesses that develop and provide workplace learning for their workers.

D) Promoting “Workplace Learning”
(9) NVMCLFD recommends that:

• The Provinces and the Government of Canada, in particular HRSDC and NLS, utilize the term “workplace learning” instead of “workplace literacy”;
• The Government of Canada expand the Essential Skills Framework toinclude socio-cultural competencies.

E) Recognizing Foreign Credentials and Prior Learning
(10) NVMCLFD recommends that regulatory bodies, the Provinces and the Government of Canada develop plans and strategies to accelerate the recognition of foreign credentials in all occupational areas.

(11) NVMCLFD recommends that the Provinces and the Government of Canada provide financial support to offset the cost of translation and evaluation of the foreign credential documents for those immigrants with job skills that are needed in Canada.

(12) NVMCLFD recommends that employers, educational institutions and all levels of government establish a consistent approach to evaluating prior learning when evaluating the skills and abilities of visible minorities.

F) Learning from the Current Project
(13) NVMCLFD recommends that the Government of Canada, particularly HRSDC and NLS, provide funding for NVMCLFD:

• To convert the lessons learned from the current project into training and reference material for other stakeholders to assist employers in implementing effective workplace learning programs for visible minorities;
• To continue its work in areas that are identified in the above recommendations.

G) Combatting Racism as a Significant Barrier
(14) NVMCLFD recommends that:

• Chambers of Commerce, Business Councils, Provinces, the Government of Canada, unions, employers and all other stakeholders recognize the reality of the negative economic impact on the country of racism and its deterrence to the full utilization of visible minorities in the workforce; and
• All levels of government, unions and employers provide “unlearning of racism” and diversity training to all employees.

See also:
Half of PRC immigrants earn less than $30,000 a year, survey says
Chinese immigrants' employment rate lower than average by nearly 20%
Survey to look into life of Chinese Canadians
Canadian immigrants' income

Tags: canada, immigration, immigrants, income, employment, unemployment, visible minority, racism, discrimination, earnings foreign credentials

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Faces of Hong Kong 4 - Farrier workshop

I love shooting rusty, aged stuff. Working into the farrier workshop of Hong Kong's Shatin Race Course gave me a fainting feeling.... I couldn't control shooting all the shoes and tools... completely ignoring what the "tour guide" was saying. Fun experience.

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

Tags: hong kong, photo, shatin race course, horse racing, farrier

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Faces of Hong Kong 3 - Horse Racing

Just some pictures from Hong Kong's Shatin Race Course. First time being there, great place, great food. I did bet -- for the first time in my life -- and lost HK$18!!! :(

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

Tags: hong kong, photo, race course, shatin, horse racing, cathay pacific international race

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Half of PRC immigrants earn less than $30,000 a year, survey says

A new survey indicates that 47% Mainland PRC Chinese immigrants have an annual household income of less than $30,000; 15% say they have not been able to secure a job; 20% of couples live separately in Canada and China.

The survey dubbed "Living Conditions of the Mainland Chinese Immigrants" (大陸移民生存狀況調查) was jointly conducted by over 50 Mainland Chinese organizations in Toronto. The initial phase concentrated in the Toronto area but might expand to include BC in the next phase.

An earlier study by Statistics Canada shows that Chinese immigrants's employment rates are 20% less than the general public.

Another StatCan study says that immigrants (all ethnicities) landed for 1 to 10 years earn about $35,00 a year. The current PRC Chinese immigrants' survey indicates that they fare worse than the average new immigrants.

The survey also finds that 68% of Mainlaind Chinese immigrants seek help from relatives and friends when they need help; 15% say they will "solve the problem themselves"; only less than 5% say they will seek help from community service agencies, psychologists, religious groups, police or other professionally trained counsellors.

The results were announced this week. Scholars from the University of Toronto's sociology dept are writing an analytical report based on these results. The report is expected to be completed by January 2007, which will be handed over to the federal gov and other related organizations/authorities.

The survey began in Nov. 5328 responses were filed online and 1023 responses were mailed in, with a total number of 6351.

Respondents say "language barrier" and "cultural difference" are the biggest obstacles for them to integrate into the Canadian society.

Most respondents suggest that the three levels of governments put more resources into the Mandarin-speaking community. Some suggest Chinese ogranizations and service agencies should work together to form a consultation committee in order to unify the voice to lobby for more gov fundings.

Toronto psychologist Yu Li (李昶) said 6000+ responses collected should be able to portrait the life of PRC immigrants in general. He's more concerned about the group of PRC immigrants represented by this survey. For instance, 75% of the respondents are aged between 33 and 50, over 80% of them are skilled immigrants who used to work in the IT, machanical engineering and business/finance before they emigrated. About 70% of the respondents are new immigrants who have landed for less than five years; 20% of them are couples living separately in Canada and China.

Yu Li also noted that about 60% of the respondents say they "feel so-so" or "sometimes good, sometimes bad".

Li believes these figures should help social service agencies to design the right kind of services to these immigrants.

Toronto has seen several suicides committed by talented Chinese immigrants who have failed to get a decent job. The most recent one was Jiang Guobin (蔣國兵), an immigrant with double PhD's, who became the youngest associate professors (at 31) of the famous Qinghua University. The early part of his life had been successful (including earning his second PhD in the States), but he could only find some painting jobs after he immigrated to Canada.

Yu Li believed Jiang might have been suffering from serious anxiety disorder and depression.

The survey also points to a dangerous fact that less than 5% of Chinese immigrants would seek professional help when they face difficulties.

See also:
Chinese immigrants' employment rate lower than average by nearly 20%
Canadian immigrants' income

Tags: china, canada, immigration, immigrants, toronto

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Home Depot enters Chinese market

Home Depot poised to enter Chinese market with Canadian president at helm

TORONTO (CP) - With the president of its Canadian division at the helm, Home Depot announced Wednesday it would be expanding its business into the fast-growing Chinese market.

The Atlanta-based company said it has reached an agreement to acquire China's first home improvement retailer, The Home Way, which has 12 stores in six Chinese cities.

"We are pleased to have The Home Way's management team as our partners as we enter China's retail market. The combination of our two companies will benefit Chinese consumers in many ways," said Annette Verschuren, the Canadian president of The Home Depot's Asian and Canadian divisions, who'll be leading the company's expansion into China.

Vershuren, 50, of Nova Scotia, has been president of Home Depot's Canadian division since 1996. Under her tenure, the big-box retailer has raked in annual sales of $5.5 billion.

Home Depot did not say how much the takeover will cost, but one published report put the pricetag at $100 million.

Home Depot said in a statement Wednesday that it's eager to break into the Chinese home improvement market, valued at $50 billion.

"This acquisition provides us with a great point of entry in one of the world's largest and fastest growing home improvement markets," said Bob Nardelli, chairman, president and CEO of Home Depot.

"The Home Way is a strong brand that is already established as a value and price leader among Chinese consumers. We welcome The Home Way's leadership and associates into The Home Depot family, and we look forward to the opportunity to serve Chinese consumers."

Home Depot said the deal has received the necessary Chinese government regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of the year.

Home Depot entered Canada in 1994 and Mexico in 2001 and now holds the top spot in both markets. It has more than 2,100 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico and employs about 355,000 people.

The company began to research the Chinese market in late 2004, finding that about 70 per cent of China's home improvement spending is for the completion of interior space in new homes.

"The Home Depot and The Home Way share the desire to bring quality home improvement products and services to Chinese customers. We look forward to this exciting new chapter that our two companies will write together," said Du Sha, chairman and CEO of The Home Way.

Tags: china, canada, USA, trade, investment, home depot

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Faces of Hong Kong 2 - The Star Ferry

The Star Ferries are among the oldest transportation means in Hong Kong. The look of these ferries today still matches that in my memories. Sweet memories. A collective memory of the people of Hong Kong.

The sound of the clock is still resounding in my ears. I really miss it.

I haven't taken the ferry for many years. I brought my visiting Canadian friend to ride on the ferry the other day. I found immense interest in almost every part of the ferry... and I bet I took more photos of it inside out and outside in than any other tourists who rode with me.

The gov has decided to demolish the famous historical clock tower in Central and the old ferry terminal was moved further away from the heart of the most expensive lands in Hong Kong's central business district. Several activists who demanded to save the clock tower were arrested at the old terminal today.

The Guardian has a touching story on the old terminal, followed by a report by The Standard about the protest.

Hong Kong mourns as shrinking harbour gives way to development

Hong Kong's harbour is why Hong Kong exists - its protected deep waters, ringed by the rock of Hong Kong island and the Kowloon peninsula, have offered haven and passage to world shipping for more than 160 years.

But at midnight on Saturday, the clock tower on the Star Ferry pier in Central, the main business and shopping hub on Hong Kong island, tolled its last chimes.

The pier, and its neighbour, Queen's Pier, are now closed. For the third time in its history, the pier is being moved further out into the ever-shrinking harbour, to make way for highways and shopping malls. It is the latest stage in a process of land reclamation that has encroached on the harbour, virtually halving the distance between Kowloon and Hong Kong island.

"Everybody knows that without her magnificent harbour Hong Kong could never have happened, but this doesn't prevent our venal property developers wanting to fill it in and litter the reclamation with thousands of skyscrapers," said Arthur Hacker, author of almost a dozen books on Hong Kong history.

When mourners gathered over the weekend to say goodbye to the piers, it was not just the prosaic 1950s architecture they were bidding farewell, but another several hundred metres of harbour.

A new ferry pier, topped by an ersatz Edwardian clock tower, now serves the Star Ferry, almost 15 minutes walk into the middle of the harbour.

Tellingly, the ferry journey takes no less time because the waters, constricted in a narrower channel, are so choppy that docking takes longer.

The harbour first attracted foreign traders when bases at Canton (now Guangdong) and Macau were threatened by the opium wars. When in 1898 Britain signed the 99-year lease for the New Territories, it led to the development of Kowloon, and to the need for easy access across the harbour.

The Star Ferry was launched in the same year and virtually all Hong Kongers love it as an old friend.

Patsy Cheng runs See Network, which campaigns for sustainable development and organised the mass protests against the harbour development.

"We are not only talking about the Star Ferry clock tower, but also the whole city's historical buildings, our heritage, our culture. It's time for us to tell the government it is enough," she said.

Conflicting plans for the harbour continue to be offered up. The government focuses on highways and shopping, while teams of academics suggest raised rainforest parks, and waterside promenades with less emphasis on making the harbour front pay.

Sir David Akers Jones, a former civil servant now linked to big business interests, has an unsentimental view of the piers. "I always like travelling across on the Star Ferry. I loved the breezes that blew and looking at the shipping in the harbour," he told the Guardian.

"But things never stand still in Hong Kong and they won't stand still in the future either. So we have to put up with change. Change is part of our lives."

From The Standard:

Protesters storm ferry site

Protesters Tuesday night stormed the construction site surrounding the old Central Star Ferry Pier after constructors began the demotion of the clock tower by removing its antique bell.

About 20 protesters, among them members of the See Network and led by legislator Leung Kwok-hung, broke through a cordon of policemen and constructors shortly after 6pm. They occupied part of the construction site, shouting slogans from the roof of an excavator and demanded to meet Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung.

One journalist was slightly injured when he was pushed to the ground during the fracas and taken to hospital.

The protesters were supported at the scene by Civic Party legislators Kwok Ka-ki, Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung and Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong legislator Choy So-yuk.

The police, paramedics and firemen arrived to cordon off the protesters and stand by in case of further injuries.

At midnight, they were still at the site and refused to leave until Suen met them to assure them that the clock will stay. At press time, no arrest was made.

The move followed the removal of the bell of Hong Kong's last antique mechanical clock in the afternoon. Its signature Westminster chimes could be heard ringing at the heart of Central every quarter-hour for half a century.

The demolition drew outrage from legislators and conservationists, who said it goes against the wishes of most residents.

The issue has united legislators from all sides of the political spectrum.

The Civic Party's Mandy Tam Heung-man accused the government of being hellbent on its destruction.

"The people of Hong Kong have an attachment to the clock tower. It is a true Hong Kong landmark.

"The clock tower occupies a tiny space. There is absolutely no need to take it down. It hardly blocks the bypass. Why can't we save the clock tower in the same way as we have saved the Kowloon Fire Station or the lighthouse in Tseung Kwan O?"

Choy, who last week asked for the minutes of the Antiques Advisory Board meeting in which the fate of the clock tower was decided, said the government was rushing the demolition before anyone had time to object.

"They told me before it wasn't worth preserving because it is too young. Now they say the Antiques Advisory Board decided it was not worth preserving. I asked for the minutes of the meeting, but they told me it would take at least a week to get them to me.

"Now I think they were just delaying until after the demolition when it is too late.

"One of my Italian friends, who has traveled all over the world, has described Star Ferry as the most beautiful ride in the world. Now it is gone. Our cultural identity is eroding away every day and there is nothing we can do about it. That's the tragedy of Hong Kong."

The third-generation Star Ferry Pier, built in 1957, is being demolished to give way to the six-lane Central-Wan Chai Bypass and a low-rise "groundscraper" shopping mall.

It will be replaced with a mock- Edwardian pier that will feature a clock tower with digital chimes.

Tags: hong kong, star ferry, victoria harbour, central

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China surpasses Mexico as US's second largest trade partner

From Bloomberg:

China Becomes Second-Largest U.S. Trade Partner

Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- China passed Mexico as the second- largest U.S. trading partner in the first 10 months of this year, demonstrating a surge in commerce between the two countries since China joined the World Trade Organization.

The milestone was revealed in Commerce Department data released today. China was the fourth-largest U.S. trading partner when it joined the WTO in 2001, behind Canada, Mexico and Japan. Canada still has the most trade with the U.S.

"China has opened to trade and investment and come on very strong," said Ernest Preeg, a senior fellow at the Manufacturers Alliance in Arlington, Virginia, which represents companies such as aircraft maker Textron Inc. and factory-equipment maker Rockwell Automation Inc.

The trade deficit with China rose to a record $24.4 billion in October, from $23 billion in September, the Commerce Department said today. Year to date, total trade with China reached $281 billion, passing Mexico's $278.3 billion. Imports from China rose to $29.3 billion in October. U.S. exports to the country rose to $4.9 billion from $4.6 billion.

Preeg and other U.S.-based economists say that China is unfairly benefiting by keeping its currency undervalued. That keeps prices low for its exports, providing a de facto subsidy to domestic producers, they say.

"China needs to do a major adjustment" to its currency, Preeg said in an interview.

Trade Surplus

Without that adjustment, China is set to run up a $229 billion trade surplus with the U.S. this year, more than 13 percent greater than the record 2005 surplus. That imbalance has prompted calls from lawmakers to force China to change its policies to buy more U.S. goods and export less.

"China is a major beneficiary of our open system of international trade, so it needs to take greater responsibility for its role in the global economy," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley said in a statement yesterday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Bush administration officials led by Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson are traveling to Beijing this week for economic talks aimed at getting changes in China's economic management.

China is exporting a growing amount of high-end products such as computers and machine tools, and will soon become a major player in world automobile production, according to Jeffrey Bader, who leads China studies at the Brookings Institution, a public policy research group in Washington.

Research and Development

Still "China's economy remains largely complementary with those of the U.S. and the West," Bader said in a speech in September.

China is also an assembly point for products the U.S. once imported from South Korea, Hong Kong or other Asian nations, according to Edward Gresser, an economist at the Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington-based research institution.

Asia as a whole "doesn't have a bigger place in the world of U.S. imports than they did a while back," Gresser said.

Other analysts say the growing trade with China is a threat to U.S. manufacturing.

Chinese penetration in areas such as electronic components, telecommunications hardware, computer devices and industrial items such as valves, has grown more than 10-fold in the past decade, according to Alan Tonelson, a researcher at the Washington-based U.S. Business and Industry Council, which represents about 1,000 factory owners.

"They have been making enormous inroads into the U.S. market, on the home turf of U.S.-based manufacturers," Tonelson said.

A Decline

China's rise also indicates a relative decline for Mexico. China's trade with the U.S. is on a pace to quadruple from the total in 1998, while Mexico's trade with the U.S. is up less than 50 percent over that same time period.

Because of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the amount of U.S. investment and its geographic location, Mexico will remain key to the U.S. economy, said Daniel Griswold, an economist at the Cato Institute in Washington.

"Our relationship with Mexico is much deeper than it is with China," he said.

Tags: china, trade, foreign policy, USA

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China open doors to foreign banks

Three Foreign Banks Get Go-Ahead in China

And so it begins. Three foreign banks have received early confirmation from the China Banking Regulatory Commission to accept large deposits from local individuals.

London-based HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Plc, and New York-based Citigroup Inc. will soon be allowed to accept deposits of $127,705 or more — the first step in the process as spelled out by Chinese regulators to becoming fully operational local retail banks.

Later, when the three banks incorporate in China, they will be allowed to offer more services to local customers. HSBC said it plans to offer the services in nine cities, Standard Chartered will offer them in seven cities, and Citigroup said it will offer the services in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

The rules were set by the Chinese financial regulators for foreign banks wishing to offer retail banking services in local currency to comply with an agreement China made to the World Trade Organization six years ago.

So far, eight banks in total have applied permission to offer retail services in China, including Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings Plc, Standard Chartered Plc, Dutch bank ABN AMRO Holding N.V., Mizuho Corporate Bank of Japan, Singapore's DBS Bank, and Hong Kong's Bank of East Asia and Hang Seng Bank.

Tags: china, banking

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Canadian, Chinese prosecutors exchange experiences

Professor Vincent Yang (楊誠) is a very insightful and respectable scholar who has been playing a big part in bringing Canadian judicial experiences to China for a decade now. Under the relentless efforts put together by the International Centre for Criminal law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy at UBC, there have been frequent exchanges between Canadian and Chinese judges, lawyers and prosecutors.

I had interviewed a prosecutor who visited the Vancouver centre some time ago. I was very very impressed by the depth of knowledge they had about the Canadian system. They clearly knew which aspects of the Canadian system could be imported and adopted in China. These people were top-notched intellectuals in China and they were genuine about revolutionizing the Chinese system. But they stressed that they needed time. Revolution doesn't come over night as Bush and Harper unpractically wish.

Our PM Stevie Harper should learn about the EFFECTIVE ways of dealing with the Chinese and the way to positively change them. Slamming at their faces could bring no one to anywhere. Read some history books, Stevie.

The following is from the Surrey Leader.

Prosecutor in China

As he explained how Canadian courts protect young victims and witnesses, Surrey Crown prosecutor Winston Sayson had to pause from time to time to allow his interpreter to catch up.

Sayson was speaking to a group of fellow prosecutors of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate in Beijing last week, part of a unique project designed to bring Canadian legal expertise and experience to China to assist that country’s legal system adjust to meet the demands of an increasingly modern, fast-paced society.

"We are not going to China to tell them how to prosecute cases involving vulnerable victims or offenders," Sayson told The Leader before he left.

"Rather, we go to respectfully share with them the Canadian experience so that our Chinese counterparts may study and consider how we do things in Canada and perhaps adopt them to the unique needs of China."

Sayson is part of a four-person team of Canadian legal experts invited to China as part of a four-year "Canada-China Procuratorate Reform Co-operation Project" operated by the Chinese authorities and the Vancouver-based International Centre for Criminal law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy.

The program was developed by Canadian Professor Vincent Yang, currently a professor of law at the Macau University of Science and Technology in the former Portuguese colony (that is now part of China, but independent of the direct authority of the mainland government).

"The goals of the project are ... to assist the reforms of the justice system in China in accordance with well-established international standards of human rights, rule of law and good governance," Professor Yang said.

The Chinese system is far more centralized and gives far more power to prosecutors than the Canadian system does, Yang said.

He said Chinese trials are "less complicated and costly" than their Canadian equivalents, but the Chinese system has a "problem of judicial corruption" unlike Canada, where instances of corruption are "hardly a problem."

Sayson called the project a "valuable opportunity."

Tags: china, canada, legal reform, criminal law reform, UBC, vincent yang

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Toronto sisters head to China for stem cell treatment

Wish the girls good luck. I hope stem cell operations in China won't become another target of attack...

Toronto Sisters Head To China For Stem Cell Treatment

Erika and Shannon Deering were paralyzed in car accident two years ago, but it hasn't stopped the Toronto sisters from taking part in the long journey towards getting their mobility back.

The pair left Pearson International Airport for China Sunday, to take part in controversial stem cell treatment currently unavailable in North America.

"Obviously we're dreaming of one day walking again, but realistically we're hoping to get the use of our hands back," said Erika.

The clinic is in Shenzhen, which is an hour from Hong Kong. The women have spent the last two years undergoing physiotherapy, which has provided modest improvements, but they feel they won't progress any further without the operation.

"As far as being worried, they're my only two daughters," said father Tony Deering.

"But everything looks to be as safe as possible and we're hoping for all the best."

Despite the fact that stem cell treatment isn't offered in the United States of Canada and has been the topic of much debate, the Deerings are confident China is their best option.

"The procedure seems to be yielding the most positive results," said Tony Deering.

"The girls are willing to give it shot, so that's where we're going."

Fellow GTA resident Cheryl Paget just recently returned from the same clinic. Millions of stem cells were injected into her shattered back and now she has movement in her leg.

"It almost brought tears to my eyes," said Erika Deering on hearing of Paget's improvements.

"I just thought it was unbelievable and I hope we're in the same position."

Tags: china, canada, health, stem cell, transplant, medical

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Faces of Hong Kong 1

Guangzhou Acrobat Troupe's performance at the opening ceremony of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Horse Races, Dec 10, 2006.

Readers might remember that for this trip to Hong Kong I have to cover an horse racing event organized by the Cathay Pacific Airways, in exchange for an upgrade of my ticket from economy class to business class.

Today was the show. While I will be posting more pictures about the race in the next few days, I want to share with you some amazing acrobatics played by the Guangzhou Acrobat Troupe at the opening ceremony of the race. I'm not very into acrobats and stuff, but these people just impressed me.

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

Tags: hong kong, travel, trip, tourism, horse racing, cathay pacific

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'Once in a Lifetime' immigration bill tabled

From Toronto Star:

Bill to let immigrants sponsor extended family members

A Toronto MP has introduced a private member's bill that would allow Canadians and landed immigrants a one-time chance to sponsor a member of their extended family.

If adopted, the "Once in a Lifetime" bill would open the door for many people who would like to welcome an adult sibling, grown child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or cousin to Canada — all categories not normally eligible under Canada's family reunification policies.

"We need to broaden our definition of family members because for many immigrant families, they are not just a nuclear unit," New Democrat MP Peggy Nash (Parkdale-High Park) told a news conference yesterday.

"One of Canada's immigration objectives is to help families reunite in Canada. To help immigrants succeed, they need the support of their families."

Under the bill, all applicants would still have to meet the normal income, medical and security requirements. (Current family sponsorships are limited to spouses, parents, grandparents and children 21 or younger, with additional exceptions for orphaned siblings, nieces, nephews or grandchildren under 18.)

Ivanna Yavorska, a 62-year-old English teacher from Ukraine, said the age requirement has prevented her from sponsoring her 31-year-old daughter and 15-year-old grandson to join her in Canada.

"It's hard. I'm getting to that age when I could need some help. And I want to care for my grandson as well. We don't want to be separated, but there's little we can do," said Yavorska, who lives in Toronto with her older son. "We talk on the phone every day, but it's not like a real conversation."

The bill was met with a cold reception by Immigration Minister Monte Solberg's office.

Spokesperson Pema Lhalungpa said Ottawa is committed to clearing the 800,000-person immigration backlog inherited from the previous government, and Nash's proposal would simply "add millions of people to the backlog."

However, Nash is hopeful that a minority government would allow room for compromise from all parties on the bill, which still requires second and third reading.

Several community organizations have already signed on to Nash's campaign, including the Canadian Tibetan Association, Parkdale Community Legal Clinic, the Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society, Polycultural Immigrant Community Services, Kababayan Community Centre and the Afghan Women's Association.

Mary Jo Leddy of Romero House, an advocacy group for refugees, said the circumstances of their situation often separate asylum seekers from their children. By the time parents become eligible to act as sponsors, the children are grown past the age where they are eligible to be sponsored.

"It's destructive for families to be separated for years and years. We need to recognize that families give immigrants a basic sense of security and they help them to succeed," Leddy added.

An online petition will soon be launched. For information on the bill, visit http://www.peggynash.ca.

Tags: canada, immigration, immigrants, once in a lifetime

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In support of documentary film on Japanese invasion of China

A new documentary film, called Nanking, was just accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. Produced by Ted Leonsis, and directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, the film focuses on the Japanese invasion into Nanking in 1937 and 1938.

The film is based on collective testimony and eye witness accounts from the Chinrese survivors, Japanese soldiers and the brave westerners who banded together to save many lives. The film's focus is on how a group of westerners could work together and save 250,000 lives in the city of Nanking during bombing raids; invasion and occupation.

Please go to the film Nanking's website and sign the interest form which is posted there. The producer can then show the film distributors the huge public interest in this film. It will be the best way to help getting the film shown widely.

For more information, please see the section of 2007 Documentary Film: "Nanking in the wikipedia's "Iris Chang".

See also:
Declassified Japan war crime docs will 'profoundly' affect foreign policy: expert
War docs review 2 - Japanese had used biochemical warfare
War docs review 1 - Proof of biochemical human experiments
US's National Archive releases declassified evidence of Japan war crimes
100,000 pages declassified in search for Japanese war crimes records
Book review: Asian Labour in the Wartime Japanese Empire
Ghosts of Nanjing still unrestful 70 years after massacre
We will never forget the terror of Japanese militarism
In support of documentary film on Japanese invasion of China

Tags: china, japan, militarism, japanese invasion, rape of nanking, nanjing

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Canadian indigenous leaders share experience with Taiwan

As far as I understand, Canadian aboriginals have been in close exchanges with Taiwnese aboriginals in recent years. Taiwanese indigenous people are also marginalized and discriminated against.

Canadian indigenous leaders share experience with Taiwan

Taipei, Dec. 6 (CNA) A pair of Canadian indigenous leaders shared experiences and expertise with their Taiwanese counterparts in a workshop on Canada's aboriginal self-governance and economic development Wednesday in Taipei.

"In terms of aboriginal relations and development, Canada was far from perfect -- it even made some mistakes in the past. But it can share its experience in aboriginal affairs with Taiwan," said David Hamilton, director of general relations of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) at the workshop, which was co-organized by CTOT and Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples.

From 1870-1950, Canadian aboriginals went through a long period of discrimination just like aboriginals in other countries, said Larry Chartrand, a professor at the University of Winnipeg who also serves as the director of Canada's Aboriginal Governance Program.

It wasn't until 1969 that aboriginals in Canada mobilized and responded through massive protests and pushed for a new relationship between the Canadian government and aboriginal people. After three subsequent constitutional amendments in 1982, the Canadian government began to negotiate one by one with aboriginal tribes on self-governance issues, he said.

However, Canadian aboriginals still face great challenges today such as land claims, the scope of self-governance, and continuing poverty and discrimination, Chartrand noted.

"It's our belief that what you do today will affect seven generations later," said Romeo Crow, a Blackfoot tribe chief of the Siksika Nation, who also serves as president of the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association.

The Blackfoot tribe, a group of nomads that followed buffaloes in the past, has been trying to build its own business, increase the group's educational enrollment rate while at the same time preserving its tradition and culture, Crow said.

Self-governance is one thing, a vision to plan for the future instead of dwelling on the present is another, he said.

Tags: canada, taiwan, aboriginal, indigenous people

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Let's get over it, Evangelicals

From the Globe and Mail... yes, let's get over it!

Evangelicals need to ask themselves hard questions

OTTAWA — Yesterday's vote to reopen the same-sex-marriage debate wasn't even close. Now thoughtful evangelical Christians must ask themselves some hard questions.

Such as: Isn't it about time we admit we've failed? That, both here and in the United States, our efforts to influence the political agenda have achieved virtually nothing? That we've wasted enormous amounts of money and time electing politicians who have betrayed us, when we could and should have been bringing Good News to the world and offering succour to those in distress?

For faith-based politics is not growing in influence. By its own definition of success, it has not succeeded and is on the wane.

Last year's battle to pass legislation authorizing same-sex marriages was close fought; its supporters often feared defeat. But Wednesday's desultory one-day debate on the motion to reopen the issue collapsed with half an hour still left on the clock.

The Bloc Québécois, NDP and most Liberals opposed the motion, and the Conservative cabinet was split down the middle. In a final insult for social conservatives, the government has abandoned plans for legislation to protect public and religious officials from having to perform same-sex marriages. The Conservatives realized that, in every way that matters, those protections are already in place.

The issue is dead.

Were this a first battle that rallied support and built momentum, while falling short in the end, the religious right could argue it was worth the effort. But not only has nothing been achieved, the movement has generated no popular support. A fringe it was born, a fringe it remains. Every dollar raised to fight same-sex marriage was a dollar wasted; every breath spent opposing it was a wasted breath.

Disillusion has gripped conservative religious activists in the United States. They worked hard to get George W. Bush elected and re-elected. And what was their reward?

Did they get their constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage or permitting school prayer? No. Did they make progress in banning abortion? Nothing substantive. Did they put an end to stem-cell research? They achieved a funding moratorium, but Congress is determined to reverse that decision, and may now have enough votes to override a presidential veto.

The midterm elections that delivered Congress and a plethora of statehouses to the Democrats suggest that the high tide of religious conservatism in the United States has also passed. In terms of actual legislative accomplishment, it was a weak tide at best. There were some victories at the state level, but Mr. Bush gave them little, apart from a raft of conservative judicial appointments -- and judges have an alarming tendency to think for themselves. And there is no president-in-waiting who would give them more.

In Canada, Stephen Harper considers himself a social conservative but has done little to promote its agenda. He promised no action on abortion and expended not a penny of personal political capital on yesterday's vote. He did appoint one devoutly Christian judge, but David M. Brown's legal credentials are impeccable and he is widely respected within the profession.

Final score: Christian activists lost the fight against same-sex marriage. They lost the fight on a motion to reopen the debate. When it was clear they would lose the vote, they fought to get it delayed, and lost. Complete failure, three times running.

"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature," Christ told His disciples. The Great Commission, it is called. But the evangelical church has lost its way. Too many of its leaders have surrendered to the false allure of political influence. They have struggled, and failed, to impose a Bible-based agenda on Congress and Parliament. Billions of souls, meanwhile, are at risk; millions are at risk from violence and hunger.

Christ would not have been on Parliament Hill yesterday. He would have been with the lost and poor. The evangelical church should remember His charge, and leave Rome to Caesar.

Across party lines

Conservatives who voted against the government's motion to restore the traditional definition of marriage to exclude same-sex couples:

Trade Minister David Emerson
Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay
International Co-operation Minister Josée Verner
Treasury Board President John Baird
James Moore
Michael Chong
Christian Paradis
Lee Richardson
Bill Casey
Gerald Keddy
Fabian Manning

Liberals who voted for the Conservative government's motion to restore the traditional definition of marriage to exclude same-sex couples:

Jim Karygiannis
Derek Lee
Gerry Byrne
Tom Wappel
Raymond Bonin
Dan McTeague
Roy Cullen
John McKay
Gurbax Malhi
Paul Steckle
Alan Tonks
Wajid Khan
Francis Scarpaleggia

Tags: canada, gay, same sex marriage, homophobia, homosexual

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Chinese Christians, Muslims want traditional marriage

Canadian Chinese and Muslim Communities Mobilize For Restoration of Traditional Marriage

MARKHAM, Ontario, December 5, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Toronto region Chinese Catholic, Muslim and other organizations held a joint press conference in Markham, Ontario yesterday in reaction to the upcoming parliamentary marriage motion. Speakers representing over 85 individual organizations called on Parliament to re-open the debate on same-sex marriage, to allow many more Canadians the opportunity to express their views on the issue and to ultimately restore the traditional definition of marriage in law.

The eight speakers, representing over a million Canadians belonging to the umbrella groups, the Toronto Chinese Catholic Task-force (TCCT), the Canada Chinese Catholic Action Network (CCCAN) and United Front Canada (UFC), asked Parliament to maintain the ‘one man-one-women’ definition of “marriage’ and to re-open debate on this matter. They distributed copies of a joint letter to be delivered to the Prime Minister today or Wednesday of this week.

Tags: canada, homosexual, homophobia, same sex marriage, gay, religion

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Oilsands company seeks Asian labour to cut costs

Oilsands Operator Says Asian Labour Will Cut Project Cost

CALGARY (CP) -- Synenco Energy Inc. will use workers in Asia to build giant modules for its Northern Lights oilsands project, saving C$1.2 billion in construction costs and slashing the need for labour by more than half in Alberta's over-heated economy.

"This is a very innovative and great solution for all concerned," Synenco president Todd Newton said Wednesday, estimating the pricetag for the revamped project in northern Alberta at C$4.4 billion.

A major Chinese oil company is a partner with privately owwned Synenco in the oilsands project.

"Our strategy is going to be very different from other oilsands developers, but it's one we think is best for our company," said Newton. "Overseas execution allows labour costs... to be reduced dramatically."

A traditional Alberta oilsands construction model would require 2,000 field workers at the peak of construction and cost C$5.6 billion, he said. This approach reduces that to about 900 workers.

Cost savings from labour will be transferred into transportation and equipment contracts, which are less volatile and easier to schedule.

The modules, which will be about 12 times the size of those traditionally fabicated for oilsands plants, will be shipped from a plant in likely China or South Korea. The 2,000-tonne units will move through the Bering Strait and down the Mackenzie River before being assembled onsite north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

"Well-known global leaders in transporation have confirmed the viablility of this route for (moving) the modules we intend to have fabricated and brought to the site," said Newton.

Calgary-based Synenco says its plan will keep the mining project on schedule and on budget.

Other energy companies in the oilsands have seen their pricetags spiral by billions as they struggle to cope with a shortage of tradespeople and skilled workers, escalating material costs and equipment shortages.

Synenco, which has a 60% share of Northern Lights and will manage the operation, says its C$4.4 billion cost estimate could still vary between 30% higher and 10% lower than estimated.

SinoCanada Petroleum Corp., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese oil giant Sinopec, owns the remaining 40%.

Newton says Synenco's plan reduces demands on local infrastructure, lower the environmental disturbance of construction and will be good for Alberta taxpayers.

Alberta allows energy developers to pay a one-per cent royalty rate until their capital construction costs are covered.

"If your capital costs are lower, then you're going to start paying taxes at the higher rate a lot faster," said Alberta Energy spokesman Jerry Bellikka, noting that of 33 of the more than 60 oilsands operations in the province are at payout. That means they pay the 25 per cent net royalty before taxes.

Synenco estimates that Northern Lights deposit holds 1.67 billion barrels of tar-like heavy oil called bitumen, up from a 2005 estimate of 1.49 billion barrels. Synenco says the project holds 1.3 billion barrels of recoverable resource, which will result in about 30 years of production at 100,000 barrels of synthetic crude a day.

Synenco did not have a cost estimate for its planned Sturgeon upgrader near Edmonton, which is to refine up to 100,000 barrels of the bitumen, but will not have a capital cost estimate on that project until sometime in 2007. The company is also looking at using modules from Asia to control costs.

"An integrated business model we believe is the most secure and robust," said Newton. "We remain fully committed to downstream integration and the full integration of bitumen production with upgrading."

Looking to 2007, the company expects updates on its regulatory applications for the Northern Lights project.

Synenco's shares fell C$1.31 to C$14.68 in Wednesday trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Tags: canada, china, investment, labour, oilsands, alberta, Synenco Energy

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Canadian businesses awaken to China's markets but not prepared

Only 17 per cent of Canadian businesses has China strategy, study says

VANCOUVER (CP) - Canadian companies are beginning to understand the importance of China as an economic power, but most are unprepared to do business in the country, a new report suggested Thursday.

The report by the Asia Pacific Foundation and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters said a survey of Canadian businesses found that just 17 per cent had a formal strategy for responding to the rise of China.
"It has become commonplace to speak of the need for companies to develop 'China Strategies' whether or not they are currently involved in business with China," foundation president and co-CEO Yuen Pau Woo said in a statement.

"These strategies should consider not only traditional business models of exporting, outsourcing, and low-cost imports, but have to also take into account broader factors such as the impact of Chinese market power on factor inputs, the role of production networks in sourcing decisions, and the integration of investment and trade, as well as product design and development."

The report suggested that Canadian companies are divided in their view of China with 22 per cent seeing China as more of an opportunity and 31 per cent as more of a threat.

Sixty four per cent of the companies believed China offered potential for reducing costs or increasing revenue.

The survey of 986 companies was based on the membership of Canadian Manufacturers and Exports. It is accurate to within 3.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Tags: china, canada, trade, investment

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Same sex marriage in Canada is permanent

Hopefully we'll have some peace from now on, amen.

OTTAWA — The last major threat to same-sex marriage rights in Canada was soundly defeated in the House of Commons today, with MPs sending the message that they don’t want to revisit the emotional, divisive debate.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he heard the message and will respect it.

“We made a promise to have a free vote on this issue, we kept that promise, and obviously the vote was decisive and obviously we’ll accept the democratic result of the people’s representatives,” Harper said.

“I don’t see reopening this question in the future.”

The question put to MPs was whether they wanted to see legislation drafted to reinstate the traditional definition of marriage, while respecting the existing marriages of gays and lesbians.

That Conservative motion failed 175-123.

In the tense Commons, MPs watched each other carefully to see how the other would vote. Some Liberals cheered as prominent Tories voted to let sleeping dogs lie. Some Conservatives applauded Liberals who did the opposite.

Ultimately, more MPs supported same-sex marriage than in the last vote on the issue in June 2005.

During that charged vote last year, only three Tories voted in favour of expanding the definition of marriage. Today, the number who approved the status quo was 13, including high-profile politicians such as Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon and International Development Minister Josee Verner.

Said Cannon: “The file is finished. We’re turning the page.”

On the Liberal side, the number of MPs committed to going back to the traditional definition of marriage dropped from 32 to 13. MP Joe Comuzzi, who lost a ministerial post the last time around for refusing to toe the cabinet line, voted against today’s motion.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, who himself had two MPs snub party discipline today by not voting at all, said he imagined the result was precisely what the Conservative government was hoping for.

“I think it’s over now. I’m pretty sure that Mr. Harper is also pleased with what happened,” Duceppe said.

In fact, many Tories had said privately — and publicly — over the last few months that they wanted to get past the same-sex marriage issue and have it done with before the next election.

Tory MP Bill Casey said the vote came as a relief. Casey also went from supporting traditional marriage to wanting to have the matter closed.

“If the vote had gone the other way, we would have spent the next several years with this as the main motivator here . . . so I just voted to move on,” Casey said.

But some politicians were questioning whether the Conservatives had something else up their sleeve. Some reports had said the government was poised to introduce legislation to protect Canadians who did not want to perform gay marriages for religious reasons.

Justice Minister Vic Toews and Harper said that wasn’t in the cards.

“The government has no plans in that regard,” Harper said. “If there were any time in the future when fundamental freedoms were threatened, of course the government would respond to protect them. The government has no plans at this time.”

The House of Commons has been dealing with the issue of same-sex marriage in earnest since 2002, when the Commons voted overwhelmingly to support the traditional definition of marriage. In 2003, however, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that barring same-sex couples from marriage was unconstitutional.

Gays and lesbians began marrying in the province, and soon other jurisdictions faced similar rulings and began issuing licences.

About 12,000 gay Canadians, as well as foreign visitors, have been married in the last three years.

The previous Liberal government took the further step of consulting the Supreme Court on whether its own legislation would infringe upon freedom of religion. The court responded that the Charter would protect churches from having to officiate such marriages.

Laurie Arron of Canadians for Equal Marriage celebrated the decision.

“It’s quite clear that after three votes in three years in three different parliaments that this issue is settled,” Arron said. ``It’s quite clear there is a growing consensus among Canadians the equal marriage is here to stay.”

Meanwhile, REAL Women of Canada, a socially conservative lobby group in favour of traditional marriage, said they would push for a national referendum on the issue.

“Elitist political leaders apparently believe that Canada is still in the twentieth century, where political parties ignored the opinion of the voting public,” the group said in a release.

“Arrogant political leaders do not, in fact, know what’s best for everyone.”
Tags: canada, gay, homosexual, homophobia, same sex marriage, human rights, gay rights

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Survey: Chinese enterprises, flooded with money, have enhanced interest in investing in Canada

China's Investment Interest in Canada Increasing Says New Survey By Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

VANCOUVER, Dec. 7 /CNW/ - Chinese state-owned companies are showing increased interest in investing in Canada at a time when the Government of Canada is reviewing foreign investment regulations that could lead to new barriers to this type of investment. The investment intentions of the Chinese companies are revealed in a report, China Goes Global - II, released today by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

In the next two years, 53% of companies say they will increase their investments overseas, sharply up from the findings of last year's survey. Over a 3-5 year period, the proportion of companies planning to increase their investments overseas rises to 72%. Hong Kong and Macao were rated as the most likely destinations for outward investment, followed by South Korea, Australia, Canada, the United States, Germany and Vietnam. The survey found that most Chinese companies are satisfied with the results of existing overseas investment activity.

According to the survey, the top ranked sectors for planned outward investment are manufacturing, IT products and services, trading, agribusiness, and resources. Foundation President and Co-CEO Yuen Pau Woo said, "Chinese companies are going global. The pace of Chinese outward investment will pick up in the next five years and will extend to areas well beyond the resource sector. While Asian countries continue to be highly ranked as a destination for Chinese investment, our survey suggests that there is also strong interest in industrialized countries."

Chinese outward investment is mainly driven by companies' long-term development plans, including the need to acquire advanced management techniques and to explore new markets globally. It is also fuelled by government policy and financial support. China Development Bank announced this week that it will increase its financing support for the overseas expansion of Chinese enterprises.

Ten percent of respondent companies already have an investment in Canada. The level of interest in future Canadian investment is especially strong among state-owned enterprises. Forty-six percent of Chinese state-owned enterprises expressed an interest in investing in Canada, substantially higher than the level of interest from private, publicly owned, and foreign joint venture firms in China.

The respondents rated Canada as the most open country to Chinese foreign investment out of a list of eight countries or regions that included the US, Australia and the EU. On a seven-point scale, Canada's openness to Chinese investment was rated at 5.6. The survey was completed before Ottawa announced it was reviewing regulations for foreign direct investment in Canada that could involve restrictions on purchase by government-controlled companies.

Added Mr. Woo, "State ownership of Chinese companies will remain an important feature of the Chinese economy for many years to come. It will be difficult for receiving countries to, on the one hand encourage Chinese investment, and on the other hand impose special restrictions on state-owned companies."

Respondents rated energy, information and communications technology, and agri-food as the most promising sectors for investment in Canada, followed by forestry, biotech, mining/minerals, and autos/auto-parts.

The survey was undertaken jointly with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the leading organization in China for the promotion of international business. There were 235 responses to the survey, which was carried out in China between September 15 and October 2, 2006.

The survey can be accessed at: http://www.asiapacific.ca/analysis/pubs/pdfs/surveys/ChinaGoesGlobal2006.pdf

Tags: china, canada, trade, investment, ODI

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Hong Kong: no longer called home

(caption: I took this picture on the bus that brought me from the airport to my folks' home.)

The first impression I have for Hong Kong this time (the last time I was here was about 5 years ago) is that everybody is talking about retirement. Perhaps it's because of my current state of mind, I found that the TV, newspapers are flooded with ads telling you what you should do to save enough for retirement.

My mom, 64, is very very busy everyday studying financial news and "betting" on shocks (her word). She spends at least 7-8 hours a day reading newspapers, going online and watching TV financial analyses. Honestly, I'm amazed.

The second impression I have for Hong Kong this time is that the air is getting worse. I was told the air quality these few days is at its best for the year. Still, I have to use my puff everyday several times to control my asthma.

I also found that I don't have much emotion/feeling for Hong Kong any more. Having immigrated for 22 years, Hong Kong is now only a place for cheap electronics and good seafood to me. It's also a place where I used to call "home" and in where my folks are living. As my desire for electronics is fading away quickly with age, I realize that Hong Kong doesn't look attractive to me any more. Rather, it's the "responsibility" that I should visit my folks that drove me here.

My home, is Vancouver.

Tags: hong kong, photo, travel

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Pull your tooth while travelling in China

Dental tourism offers Canadians significant savings and a unique travel experience in China

OTTAWA, Dec. 5 /CNW Telbec/ - Canadians can now experience the vacation of a lifetime touring the historic Nanjing region of China while enjoying substantial savings on major dental procedures.

"Dental tourism is an increasingly popular choice for North American consumers who understand the remarkable opportunities and savings that are available to the inciDENTAL Tourist," notes David McConnell, president of the Ottawa-based Hinton-Sherwood Group Inc. which has recently introduced a new dental tourism service in Canada.

"During a recent trip to China I discovered that dental work I needed could be done for a fraction - about one quarter - of what I would have to pay for the same quality of treatment in Canada. The total cost for my bridge work and three crowns was $1840 (Cdn.)," explains Mr. McConnell. "In Canada, at a clinic comparable to the one I visited in Nanjing, this would have cost about $8,400. When my dental insurance refund of $820 was factored in, my total savings came to more than $7,000!"

The inciDENTAL Tourist package includes a guided two-week vacation visiting the historic city of Nanjing, Suzhou - known for its enchanting canals and beautiful gardens - a cruise on the Yangtze River and shopping in Shanghai. Dental treatments, provided at a state-of-the-art clinic in Nanjing, are scheduled to maximize time for sight-seeing and visiting.

The inciDENTAL Tourist has been featured on CBC television and radio, including As it Happens, as well as in The Ottawa Citizen.

"The inciDENTAL Tourist makes it possible to receive top-quality dental care while enjoying a truly remarkable vacation experience in China. Best of all, the savings on dental procedures will more than pay for the cost of your vacation," adds Mr. McConnell.

Tags: china, canada, dental tourism

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Hong Kong, Canada renew telecom MoU

Hong Kong, Canada renew telecom MoU

The governments of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Canada on Thursday renewed their memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in telecom technologies.

The MoU was signed by Francis Ho, Hong Kong's Permanent Secretary for Commerce Industry and Technology, and Veena Rawat, president of Communication Research Center of the Department of Industry of Canada on the sidelines of ongoing Telecom World 2006 show.

Ho said at the signing ceremony that the renewal of the MoU signified the strong connections in the sector of information and communication technologies (ICT) between the two sides.

He said that Hong Kong has been fostering ties in ICT cooperation with other countries in the form of MoU in recent years.

"Canada is our first ICT MoU partner since 1998, and this is the second time we have extended the term," said the Hong Kong official.

"Under the MoUs, we are aiming to create synergy and establish mutually beneficial relationship among relevant government agencies and industry organizations to enhance the ICT development in the respective economies," he said.

Many exchange and cooperative activities were conducted under the auspices of the Hong Kong/Canada ICT MoU. The major forms of cooperation include mutual visit, exchange forum, trade facilitation, business partnership and student exchange program.

"I am confident that the synergy generated from such exchanges and cooperation will enable us to compete more successfully in today's global arena," Ho noted.

Hong Kong and Canada first signed the MoU on ICT in 1998, which was first renewed in 2002. The MoU was renewed Thursday for a another five-year term until 2012.

Under the renewed MoU, the two sides will seek cooperation in areas covering software applications, information and communications infrastructure and related policies.

Source: Xinhua

Tags: canada, trade, hong kong, ICT, telecom technologies

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Canada-China trade deficit on pace to rise

From the Globe and Mail:

Canada-China trade deficit on pace to rise
Data suggest the figure may have surpassed Chinese deficit with the U.S.

Canada's trade deficit with China has now probably reached larger proportions than the much-reviled Chinese deficit with the United States, National Bank Financial Inc. says.

China released its trade figures for November yesterday, and its surplus was $23.37-billion (U.S.) -- a slight dip from October, but still near record highs. The monthly surplus was twice as large as November, 2005, and higher than most economists had projected.

While the China-Canada figures were not published, if previous patterns in Canada-Chinese trade continue, Canada's trade deficit with China is probably now about 2 per cent of Canada's economy, said Stéfane Marion, an economist with National Bank Financial.

That's slightly more than the 1.9 per cent seen in the U.S.-China trade deficit, he said.

Over the past four years, he estimates that Chinese shipments to Canada have quadrupled -- rising at a much faster pace than Chinese sales to the rest of the world. And Chinese exports to Canada have grown 60 per cent faster than Chinese exports to the U.S., Mr. Marion said.

"In our opinion, this development argues for more downsizing in Canadian manufacturing," he added.

The trade deficit with China has been an emotional and political hot button in the U.S., but not in Canada. That's mainly because the U.S. has an overall trade deficit as well, and the large and growing deficit with China exacerbates the precariousness of the U.S. current account.

Canada, on the other hand, consistently runs trade surpluses, mainly because of its high level of exports to the U.S.

Even though Canada is running a trade deficit with the rest of the world, and that deficit is growing, the Canadian public has not seized on the issue.

But the Canadian manufacturing sector is paying a steep price, Mr. Marion warns. Intense competition from Chinese manufacturers has squeezed Canadian factory exports at a time when the Canadian dollar is high and costs are rising.

"It's really a very significant deterioration," he said, referring to the trade conditions faced by the manufacturing sector in Canada.

He points out that Canada is probably the only industrialized country in the world where the manufacturing work force is larger now than it was 20 years ago, despite two years of layoffs. And Canada is probably overdue for further job losses in the factory sector, as China's weight is felt.

Tags: china, canada, trade

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Is Canada's anti-China policy working in India's favour?

The following is a lively discussion on this sensitive issue carried in the Embassy weekly. Interesting inputs from many insightful people.

"Is Canada's Anti-China Policy Working in India's Favour?"

Canada's relationship with China has been making the news recently, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's tough stance on the Communist nation's human rights record getting mixed reviews from average Canadians, government officials and the media. But China is not the world's only rising economic power. India is one of the so-called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries because of its emerging economy, and its relations with Canada was the focus of a one-day conference at DFAIT headquarters on Dec. 1 that was attended by senior scholars, government officials and business leaders.

Embassy spoke with some of the participants, asking: "Is Prime Minister Stephen Harper's perceived anti-China policy working in favour of Canada-India relations?"

Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to the foreign minister.

"No. The Indian policy is the Indian policy; the Chinese policy is the Chinese policy. They are not interlinked. We are not playing one against the other. We are interested in both countries. We don't want to have an anti-China policy at all. We are promoting trade very vigorously with China. The minister of agriculture and the minister of natural resources have been to China. There is no such a thing as anti-China policy. They are different markets, different trade. We want to be partners for both of them."

Paul Evans, co-CEO and chairman of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

"No. I don't think Mr. Harper has an anti-China policy. The government is trying to figure out its approach to China. The details, even the basic frame, are not yet clear. I don't think opening our relationship with India is based on the anti-China feeling. I feel there are many substantial elements–trade, human relations, some diplomatic commonality–Canada needs to work with India, just as China is working with India now on many of these issues. It is not a one-or-the other game. It is a matter that we have good relations with both countries and that we can advance Canada's political and economic agenda.

"I don't think India is a substitute to Canada for a lesser relationship with China. We do more trade with China in one month than we do with India in a year. Because Canada is trying to integrate into supply chains that center on China, our economic relationship with China is destined to increase whatever we do with India. Again, it is not one or the other. Let's work with both but the bigger game right now is China's economic game."

Barbara Darling, president of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs' national capital branch.

"Yes. He is making us think about the human rights issue and the context of trade. It is not just the money that matters to Canadians. I think he is showing leadership.

"There are lots of indications pointing to that Canada will do more trade with India. But whether India would surpass China in terms of trade with Canada, I don't know.

"In the long term, China and Canada will have very good relations, but right now there is a little tension because of discussions on human rights. But it is possible to see the future."

Ravi Seethapathy, chair of the Canadian Advisory Council, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.

"Maybe there is a perception, but there isn't an anti-China policy. The question is that the government has not come to understand what is its foreign policy. From its foreign policy, then there will be issues related to a specific country: China, India or anybody else. The current government has been a new one and has got to come up with what is its foreign policy statement to Asia, what is its foreign policy statement to Europe.

"It is a timing issue. So far there isn't a foreign policy statement yet. I hope the government will work on that."

Robert J. Keyes, senior advisor to the president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

"No. Both countries are exceedingly important to Canada's economic prospect. That is why we look forward to being in both China and India. Our economy needs it. Canada has products and services which both China and India need. As well, products and services from the two countries can come here. We need to be in both countries.

"It is not a question of a replacement. It is a question of both economic potentials of both countries. It is vital that Canada pays attention to both countries and that is exactly what is happening."

Roy Culpeper, president of the North-South Institute.

"I don't have any quick answer for this question. It could have that effect, I suppose. The free market has a way of being its own logic. I am sure that in the end Mr. Harper's respect for free market may determine the outcome more than his concerns over human rights in China particularly. That is not a prediction, but a guess."

Tags: china, canada, trade, foreign policy, india

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Charlie Quan's thanksgiving feast

(caption 1: Quan and his four generations and the roasted pig; caption 2: Quan burnt incense with daughter-in-law and grandson)

Charlie Quan (關祥國) invited dozens of friends and community members to enjoy a roasted pig feast and to thank "Kwan Kung" (a Chinese folklore deity) for blessing on redressing the head tax.

The 99-year-old Quan will turn 100 in February. On Sunday, four generations of the Quan's gathered at the Quon Lung Sai Tong (關隴西堂) and celebrated with friends and community members, including head tax advocates.

The feast included a special roasted pig (a must-have in Chinese thanksgiving rituals), chickens and chau mien. Quan said spending was nothing compared to celebrating with everybody.

Quan has 4 children (2 are deceased), 6 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

Quan's 44-year-old grandson said Quan buses to Chinatown almost everyday from his home on Commercial Drive. He visits friends and plays mahjong with them. At 99, Quan is still strong and healthy.

Tags: head tax, charlie quan, kwan kung, guan gong, redress, racism, anti-chinese

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Asian immigrants most likely to remit, study says

A recent study by the Research on Immigration and Integration in the Metropolis, Social Relations and Remittances, Asian immigrants are the most likely to remit much of their income to persons outside of immediate households.

Here is the abstract of the study:

This paper models transfers outside the household for both the Canadian-born and foreignborn Canadian populations in a traditional expenditure framework with an unique composition of goods to illustrate the special motivations to remit by immigrants.

We theorise that remittances to persons outside the households represent transfers to maintain social relations with relatives and friends and religious/charitable remittances are expenditures which foster group membership. Using Canadian survey data we estimate transfer functions as part of a larger expenditure system and calculate Engel elasticities for remittances to persons and to charities by both the Canadian and foreign-born populations.

We conclude that expenditures to enhance social relations with relatives and friends (i.e. remittances to persons) are a normal good for recent Asian immigrants and a luxury good for all other immigrants and Canadians. Moreover, Asian households are the only ones that remit significantly more of their total expenditures to persons upon arrival, compared to the Canadian reference group, and their remittance behaviour does not converse to that of Canadian-born over time.

This latter fact indicates strong cultural differences within the remitting households, most probably due to the fact that Asian households have stronger social ties to their extended family. Finally, with the exception of lower income North American and European immigrant households, all other immigrant groups and Canadians generally consider group membership contributions (i.e. charitable remittances) as a greater necessity than inter-household transfers.

Tags: immigration, immigrant, remit, remittance, asian immigrants, RIIM, SFU

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BC seeks $45m from immigrants who broke sponsorship promise

The government of BC has sent letters to 2800 immigrant families allegedly broke the family sponsorship agreements, requiring them to return paid welfare money of a total of $45m.

Claude Richmond, minister of employment and income assistance, said the gov has the right to chase these monies according to the immigration agreement signed between BC and the federal gov. The unit responsible for chasing back these monies is the revenue services of BC.

Richmond said residents sponsoring family members for immigration have signed an agreement with the feds that they have to provide for the sponsored members' all living expenses for ten years, including health care, finance and other daily expenses. Within the ten years, sponsored immigrants are not eligible for income assistance issued by the gov of BC.

According to the gov of BC, 90% of the sponsors follow the requirements, however, about 10% of them, or 2800, have broken their promise and taken BC's income assistance. The gov must chase these monies back on behalf of all taxpayers. The total amount outstanding from these 2800 families is about $45m.

Richmond urged those who received the letters to contact the gov immediately and to discuss ways of repayment. He emphasized that under specific circumstances, such as victims of violence, will be waived of the repayment.

Lawyer Lawrence Wong said many of these families being chased are those who've engaged in marriage of convenience. For instance, a man sponsored his "wife" to BC for the sole purpose of helping this woman to immigrate, usually they will divorce soon after she's landed. When the divorced "wife" disregards the sponsorship agreement and applies for income assistance, the man who's sponsored her will be chased for the money she collected.

Tags: immigration, immigrant, sponsorship, sponsored immigrant, BC, income assistance

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Vancouver voted best gay tourism destination

Vancouver rated top city for gay tourists

VANCOUVER — Karen Wetzel of Louisiana has a vivid first impression of Vancouver -- and it doesn't include mountain peaks and ocean views.

When Ms. Wetzel and her partner, Claudette Oster, told the customs officer at Vancouver Airport they had travelled to Canada to marry, the official beamed and said, "Well, congratulations and welcome to Vancouver."

The big grin from the border guard took both women off guard. Back home in Baton Rouge, only a few friends and co-workers know that the women are lesbians. When the customs official embraced their status, Ms. Wetzel felt instantly at home in Canada.

"That's the way it began and it set the whole tone for the time," Ms. Wetzel, 57, said in a telephone interview from Baton Rouge.

The American couple aren't alone. A new survey by a U.S.-based marketing company that tracks the spending habits of American gays and lesbians named Canada as the No. 1 international travel destination. Vancouver was rated the preferred Canadian city to visit, with Montreal and Toronto taking second and third spots, respectively.

The study was conducted by Community Marketing Inc., a San Francisco-based firm that conducts an annual survey of tourism trends in the U.S. gay and lesbian community. About 7,500 people responded to the online travel survey.

Ms. Wetzel and Ms. Oster were married in Stanley Park on a warm April evening in 2005. They returned home after the wedding. Their Canadian marriage isn't recognized in Louisiana, but the women treasure memories of their brief visit to the West Coast city.

"It could not have been scripted more fabulously," she said. "It was just the most magical experience."

CMI has taken online travel surveys for 11 years. Last year, Canada was the No. 1 destination, edging out Europe for the first time. In the 2006 survey, Canada is first again, ahead of Mexico in second place and the United Kingdom in third.

CMI marketing manager Jerry McHugh said the legalization of same-sex marriage likely had an impact on Canada taking the top spot. "That was a big boost for Canada," Mr. McHugh said in a telephone interview from San Francisco. "The political changes . . . was a big push."

The 2006 survey results thrilled tourism officials in Vancouver, who have waged a campaign to lure gay and lesbian travellers to the West Coast. About five years ago, Tourism Vancouver sought advice from the city's gay and lesbian community, asking for tips on how to better market the city to gay travellers.

The group's Vancouver website has a section for gay and lesbian travellers, said Rick Antonson, president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver. As a general rule, it has tried to play down the promotion of stereotypical draws, such as bars and clubs, Mr. Antonson said. What's of more interest to foreign gay travellers is whether a same-sex-couple will have difficulty checking into a Vancouver hotel, Mr. Antonson said.

This year, Tourism Vancouver offered a gay-marriage sweepstakes to Americans. More than 400 gay and lesbian couples entered the draw to win a $50,000 wedding package, complete with a honeymoon cruise to Alaska.

Giving gay Americans a good tourism experience is also a wise business move because a happy tourist is more likely to be a return tourist. Ms. Wetzel is among them.

She and Ms. Oster came for the wedding, but fell in love with Vancouver's exquisite restaurants and beautiful gardens. "Vancouver is your crown jewel," she said. "It is exquisitely beautiful. I want to move there."

Tags: canada, gay, homosexual, gay tourism, vancouver, destination, Community Marketing Inc.

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China considers dumping 'dragon' as national symbol

(caption 1: the Chinese dragon; caption 2: western dragons are often seen as evil and combative.)

To me, I strongly disagree sacrificing tradition to politics.

China is considering abandoning "dragon" as its national symbol because the mightiness of dragons might look too aggressive to the West.

However, an online poll shows that over 90% of Chinese do not want to give up the symbol the people have been proud for thousands of years, just to bow to the West.

Recently some Chinese academics are suggesting that China should adopt a new symbol because the conotation of "dragon" in the West denotes aggressiveness, evil and always ready to attack.

The study of changing the national symbol is now officially established as an independent discipline in Shanghai.

Wu Youfu (吳友富), party secretary of Shanghai International Studies University, said although the Chinese have been seeing themselves as "the descendents of the dragon", similar meaning might not be shared by the West and might be deliberately twisted by "someone with special intention" to hurt the Chinese.

Wu suggested that branding the national symbol can be either spatially or temporally. For instance, contamporary, multi-ethnic, multi-religious symbols can be used.

Wu said the West is biased against oriental philosophy such as Buddhism and Confusianism. In Chinese traditional culture, Buddhism has been blended with Taoism and Confusianism. The triology calls for culitivating the self, merging the self with heaven and earth. Wu said when rebranding China's national symbol, these positive elements of the Chinese culture should be considered.

The academics are now considering combining dragon with phoenix to demonstrate harmony.

However, a recent online poll where over 90,000 voters participated shows that 93% of Chinese don't like dumping the dragon symbol. Some say "We Chinese ARE the descendents of the dragons, how can we dump our ancestorial roots just to please the west?" Some say "this is exactly what the present day China lacks today.... aggressiveness."

Other choices those being polled like are pheonix and panda.

Tags: dragon, china, culture, national symbol, phoenix, panda

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What if Canadian firms invite Chinese investment, huh?

So what will our finance minister think? This time it's a Canadian firm who invites Chinese investment....

China's Sinosteel offered stake in 2.75 bln usd Canada iron ore project - report

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Canada's New Millennium Capital has invited trading firm Sinosteel Corp and other Chinese steel companies to participate in its 2.75 bln usd iron ore mine in Labrador, the South China Morning Post reported, citing New Millennium.

Toronto-listed New Millennium said it signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Sinosteel a year ago for a joint venture to develop, build and operate the LabMag iron ore project, which contains the world's largest undeveloped magnetic iron ore deposit with proven and probable reserves of 3.55 bln tons, the Hong Kong newspaper reported.

'We're still discussing the details with Sinosteel. No final agreement has been reached,' New Millennium president and chief executive Robert Martin said. adding that the company also held talks with other Chinese steelmakers over possible participation in the project.

The project is projected to produce 15 mln tons of iron ore pellets annually for about 65 years.

Tags: china, canada, trade, investment

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Canadian auto industry faces tough competition from China

China luring automotive investment

Ontario will have to battle harder than ever for auto investment because of stiff competition from China, according to the Conference Board of Canada.

China is attracting huge amounts of investment from international auto makers because of consumer demand and low production costs, the board said in its latest forecast for the Canadian industry.

"While Ontario has recently enjoyed some success in securing new investment in the auto sector, Canada will have to fight harder and harder for auto investment in the years ahead," the board said. "Canada's challenge will be to ensure that a suitable share of Chinese auto sector investment comes its way."



In addition to competing for Chinese auto investment, Canada's industry also faces the threat of imports from that country which would undermine existing manufacturers here, the board noted.

"Chinese-made automobiles will soon enter the North American market," the board said. "These cars will be sold at nearly half the price of North American and European competitors." Auto assemblers and parts makers here are already struggling with a high Canadian dollar and a weaker U.S. economy, which adversely affects production here.

After visiting China last month, Buzz Hargrove, president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, said the federal and U.S. governments must introduce tariffs to protect the North American auto industry from an onslaught of imports because China won't allow fair access to its market

The board said the future of the North American auto industry lies in growing integration with Chinese counterparts.

For example, the Wanxiang Group, China's biggest auto parts supplier, includes General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen among customers.

Tags: china, canada, trade, auto industry, investment

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Vatican resumes relations with China

The problem with me is, I don't want to see Christianity to penetrate China.

Vatican wants China ties but will stick by Taiwan

TAIPEI (Reuters) - The Vatican will move to resume relations with China after more than half a century if religious freedom is allowed but it will not abandon China's diplomatic rival Taiwan, an official said on Tuesday.

The Vatican, which Taiwan sees as an important ally as it fights for international legitimacy against China, would seek to restore an apostolic nunciature in Beijing for the first time since the Communist Party began ruling China in 1949, said Monsignor Ambrose Madtha, charge d'affaires at the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Taipei.

But the Vatican would seek to keep a delegate in Taiwan, he said. Taiwan split from China in 1949 after the civil war that brought the Communists to power, and the Vatican went with it.

"Holy See's position is quite clear and is known to the Taiwanese government," Madtha said. "The Holy See would maintain its delegate in Taipei. The Holy see will not abandon Taiwan."

Taiwan officials know about the Vatican's hopes for China but will not comment on anything presumptive, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman David Wang said.

Because China sees Taiwan as part of its territory rather than as a country, it is unlikely to let the Vatican or any other government maintain ties with Taiwan while pursuing diplomatic relations in Beijing.

Taiwan officials believe China is trying to isolate their island by persuading Taiwan's 24 remaining diplomatic allies to switch allegiance, joining 170 countries that already recognize Beijing over Taipei.

About 10 million Catholics live in China, but many are cut off from the Vatican, worshiping underground in fear of restrictions if they join government-sanctioned churches. The Vatican has indicated to Taiwan it would like to help those "lost sheep," Wang said.

Vatican-China relations dipped last week, when Pope Benedict criticized China for consecrating a bishop without Vatican permission, sparking outrage from Beijing days later.

About 300,000 Catholics live in Taiwan, which receives occasional visits from Vatican missionaries.

Tags: china, vatican, religion, catholics, christians, pope

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Nortel builds mobile network in Taiwan

Chunghwa Telecom, Nortel to Build Taiwan's First Integrated Local Government WiMAX Network

TAIPEI, Taiwan, December 5 /PRNewswire/ --

A new Mobile WiMAX network in the northeastern county of Yilan, builtby Chunghwa Telecom in association with Nortel andeASPNet, is to become the first fully integrated broadband wireless network driven by a local government under the Mobile-Taiwan (M-Taiwan) project.

Radically impacting the daily lives of Yilan residents, visitors and businesses - and positioning the district as a national showcase for ubiquitous wireless broadband services - the WiMAX infrastructure willenable broadband wireless access to such
services as M-Learning, M-Commerce , M-Tour as well as video surveillance and IPTV services.

"This initiative demonstrates the significance of Mobile WiMAX technology in advancing the government's rapidly evolving M-Taiwan project," said Chun-Ming Hsieh, vice president, Chunghwa Telecom.

"Nortel is an established leader in Taiwan's telecommunications industry and we lookforward to working together in extending the same integrated wireless capabilities to other areas of Taiwan to help bolster the competitiveness of local economies."

"The people of Yilan will now be able to take the Internet with them wherever they go, and enjoy high-speed mobile access using virtually any wireless-enabled device," said Jackson Wu, president, Greater China, Nortel. "This is a momentous step forward for the M-Taiwan project."

Nortel is providing Chunghwa Telecom with next generation Mobile WiMAXbase stations, based on the IEEE 802.16e standard, incorporating Nortel'spatented MIMO antenna technology. Nortel's MIMO is a key capability enabling the provision of the most demanding real-time applications such asVoIP and voice over WiMAX.

Nortel will also provide an Access Service Network Gateway, customer premises equipment, and network management capabilities, as well as network integration and optimization services provided by Nortel Global Services. Nortel ranked number one in the global markets for service provider soft switches and gateways for the first half of 2006, according to Synergy Research Group. Nortel's Global Services portfolio offers a full range ofnetwork application, implementation, and support services for end-to-endmulti-vendor networks.

Taiwan is playing a pivotal role in Nortel's WiMAX development. Nortel recently signed an agreement with Chunghwa Telecom to deploy a WiMAXsolution in the operator's experimental park to create an environment fortesting WiMAX and integrating the technology with the Nortel Wireless MeshNetwork solution deployed in Taipei and Kaohsiung as part of thegovernment's M-Taiwan initiative. In addition, Nortel is deploying a WiMAXtrial system at the National Taiwan University campus, and has alsoestablished a Center of Excellence for Devices in Taipei.

Nortel is the only WiMAX vendor with products in virtually all mobile technologies currently available across both public and wireless networks.Nortel also owns dozens of patents in the technologies underlying the WiMAXstandard, and the company's eight years of work in OFDM/MIMO technology has culminated with much of its patented technology being accepted as the basisfor the global WiMAX industry standard.

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Paul Martin visits China

Wow, this really speaks a lot! Shame on the Tories!

Chinese state councilor meets former Canadian PM

Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan (唐家璇) met Monday in Beijing with former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, vowing to enhance relations between the two countries.

"China will work with Canada to handle the relationship from a strategic height and solve differences through dialogue, so that relations can move forward in the healthy and stable way," Tang said.

He expressed appreciation for the efforts Martin had made in improving Sino-Canadian relations and hopes he will continue to do so.

Martin said Canada-China relations are "one of the most important" for Canada, adding that there is a consensus in Canada that friendship with China should be improved.

He pledged to continue his effort to enhance Canada-China relations.

Martin is here attending an international seminar held by Tsinghua University and the University of Victoria.

Source: Xinhua

Tags: china, canada, diplomacy, foreign policy, paul martin, tang jiaxuan

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Global warming to gay rights

Global warming to gay rights
The worldwide trend of recognizing same-sexmarriage will likely continue.
Los Angeles Times

While state after state in the U.S. closes its doors to the prospect of same-sex marriage, lesbian and gay relationships have been gaining acceptance in the rest of the world.

Last month, South Africa joined the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and Spain in opening civil marriage to same-sex couples, allowing them equal economic benefits, legal rights and social status as families. The law, passed by an astounding 230-41 margin in Parliament, was in response to an equally notable unanimous decision last year by the South African Constitutional Court. It ruled that the post- apartheid constitution ensures the dignity and equality of all people — and that includes lesbian and gay couples wishing to affirm their love and commitment through civil marriage.

Days afterward, when faced with five Israeli lesbian and gay couples who had married in Canada, Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the government is required to officially register them as they would any other foreign marriage.

In the U.S., only Massachusetts has enacted full marriage for same-sex couples. Vermont, Connecticut and California have elected to use the less inflammatory terms civil union" or "domestic partnership," and New Jersey is still hashing out its terminology. The majority of the states have laws or constitutional amendments restricting "marriage" to one woman and one man.

Denmark in 1989 became the first nation to legally recognize same-sex relationships, and Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland swiftly followed that lead. Much of Europe, including France, Germany, Portugal and Hungary, now recognizes same-sex partnerships for a range of purposes, including inheritance, property and social-benefits rights. Countries in formerly communist blocs — the Czech Republic and Slovenia — recognize partnerships, and Croatia has extended some economic benefits to same-sex couples.

In September, the Senate in Uruguay voted 25 to 2 to pass a broad partnership law, positioning that country to be the first Latin American nation to extend legal rights when it is passed by the full legislature. New Zealand's and Australia's domestic partnership laws allow some of the most important benefits, such as immigration, inheritance and property rights. The government in Taiwan suggested a bill allowing same-sex marriage, though nothing has yet come of it. In Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Switzerland, some economic and legal rights have been extended by city and regional authorities. Just last month, Mexico City broke ground as the first government entity in that country to recognize same-sex civil unions.

These developments clearly mean that the number of same-sex couples whose relationships are legally valid is on the rise. By the end of the decade, it is possible that hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples will have entered legal marriages, civil unions or domestic partnerships.

When Britain's domestic partnership registration law went into effect last December, government ministers predicted that between 11,000 and 22,000 couples would benefit from the law by 2010. More than 6,500 same-sex couples registered just in the first year.

About 12,000 Canadian, 7,000 Dutch, 2,500 Belgian and 1,300 Spanish same-sex couples are already married.

These unions are already having ripple effects around the globe. In Ireland, a lesbian couple is asking the government to recognize their Canadian marriage. A court in the Caribbean country of Aruba ruled that the Dutch marriage of a lesbian couple must be registered in Aruba, which is part of the kingdom of the Netherlands.

How this trend will play out in countries that have not yet recognized same-sex relationships is still up in the air. Will the United States, for instance, accommodate a major corporation's desire to have one of its top executives from Canada move here with her legal spouse? Or a domestic-partnered diplomat from New Zealand? Or an American lucky enough to find the man of his dreams while working in South Africa? Will Sir Elton John's highly publicized civil union with longtime partner David Furnish be recognized by a hospital emergency room in Las Vegas or St. Louis or Salt Lake City should one of them fall ill on a concert tour?

To be sure, the backlash prompted by increased gay and lesbian visibility, whether through marriage or other demands for equality, has been fierce. South Africa's decision has drawn angry responses from religious and community leaders. Angry crowds in Moscow last May jeered a few dozen lesbian and gay marchers and demanded that Russia be cleansed of the evils of homosexuality. Likewise, an international gay pride event in Jerusalem had to be held in a stadium — instead of as a parade — because of threats and lobbying from ultra-Orthodox Jews and some Muslim and Christian groups.

Gay communities haven't even raised the issue of marriage in Latvia, Uganda and Honduras — where police violence and state discrimination are still standard practice. Yet the governments of those countries have gone out of their way to promote anti- gay hostility by outlawing same-sex marriage.

In Nigeria, a bill awaiting legislative action would impose criminal penalties for engaging in or performing a marriage ceremony for two men or two women.
In the United States, President Bush has consistently pushed the radical measure of amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, as has Australia's prime minister, John Howard.

Despite the backlash, one fact is self-evident. The trend toward recognizing the dignity and love of two people of the same sex will not disappear. As barriers to same-sex couples fall, courts, legislatures, religious denominations and businesses everywhere will need to respond.

As Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero proclaimed when his newly elected reform government approved same-sex marriage in 2005: "We are not the first, but I am sure we will not be the last. After us will come many other countries, driven, ladies and gentlemen, by two unstoppable forces: freedom and equality."

Tags: gay rights, gay, homosexual, same sex marriage, homophobia

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Scotiabank eyes second China bank deal

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Bank of Nova Scotia said on Monday that it is looking for a strategic partner in China to boost its business in the world's fourth-largest economy after it bought part of a local bank two years ago.

Scotiabank would be interested in buying another city commercial bank in China if the right opportunity came along, said Robert Pitfield, an executive vice president for its international banking business.

Scotiabank, the second-largest bank by market value in Canada, would be also interested in teaming up with strategic partners in non-banking services in China such as fund management, Pitfield told Reuters ahead of a branch ceremony in Shanghai.

"We found China is a fabulous country and it has huge potential so we want to be part of its future," Pitfield said.

"We will grow in China through both organic growth and acquisition."

In 2004, Soctiabank and the World Bank's International Finance Corp. agreed to buy a combined 25 percent stake in the small Xi'an City Commercial Bank in western China, making Soctiabank the first Canadian bank to buy a stake in a Chinese lender.

When asked if the bank is still keen to buy a second Chinese bank, Pitfield replied: "Sure, if there is an opportunity ... a city commercial bank would be great."

A number of foreign investors including Scotiabank were in advanced talks to buy up to 19.9 percent of Dalian City Commercial Bank in northern China, the Dalian bank's vice president Li Zhuoran told Reuters in June.

Pitfield declined to name any potential new banking partner in China on Monday.

Scotiabank wants a Chinese partner which already has its own network and shows the ability to grow in the domestic market, Pitfield noted.

Foreign lenders have become increasingly interested in China's smaller city banks in recent years, because they are often deemed to have healthier loan portfolios and cheaper equity, and may be easier to manage than big state banks.

French bank BNP Paribas spent $87 million on an 19.2 percent stake in Nanjing City Commercial Bank in eastern China last year.

Scotiabank, which set up its first Beijing representative office in China in 1982, operates three branches in Guangzhou and Chongqing and Shanghai, its newest branch launched on Monday.

Despite the small number of branches in China, Pitfield said he is satisfied with its current coverage. The Canadian bank so far is still focused on trade-related corporate banking services.

Scotiabank was given a US$150 million investment quota in June under China's Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme, allowing it to invest in domestic capital markets.

Scotiabank used up its quota in September and plans to apply for a bigger quota early next year, said Michele Kwok, a Hong Kong-based senior vice president for its Asia Pacific and Middle East regional business.

© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Tags: china, canada, banking, scotia bank

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Harper's China policy 'immature', charged Chretien

Imature and stupid.

Chretien calls Harper's China policy 'immature'
CTV.ca News Staff

Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien slammed Prime Minister Stephen Harper for what he called an "immature" policy towards China.

"I met 18 times with the president of China. I discussed human rights every time," he told delegates Saturday at the Liberal leadership convention in Montreal.

Claiming Canada had done much under his tenure to help advance human rights in China, Chretien said: "Engage them, don't insult them."

Harper told reporters at the end of last month's APEC summit in Hanoi, Vietnam: "... Although it was not a very long discussion, a very frank discussion with President Hu (Jintao) of China - a distinct impression, if I may say that, that the Chinese aren't used to that from a Canadian government, but I can't speak for them."

Prior to the meeting, Harper said he wouldn't "sell out" on human rights to promote trade and investment with China, one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

Chretien said it is the West, particularly British Columbia, "that is paying the price for this immature policy that runs the risk to destroy" efforts by previous Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments to cultivate a relationship with China.

In a veiled shot at Harper's meeting with Hu Jintao, Chretien said: "I met with the president of China so often I never had to wait at the door to the bathroom to talk to him as it was the case two weeks ago."

Speaking to CTV News after his speech, Chretien said the organizers asked him to deliver a pep talk.

The biggest cheer came when Chretien told the crowd, after listing a number of accomplishments, that the Liberals were the "party that said 'no' to war in Iraq. " Delegates to their feet rose to their feet.

The Canadian Alliance Party, then headed by Harper, favoured supporting the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"I know that Prime Minister Harper was watching," Chretien said. "Perhaps he's still watching. And perhaps I should say: 'Stephen. Stephen. Can I call you 'Steve' like George W.?" That triggered more roars.

He described the party as now being ready to take on the "hard right-wing Conservative government."

Chretien defended his legacy, saying his government fought the deficit, giving credit to his finance minister and former leadership rival Paul Martin.

The Conservatives have taken the large surpluses they inherited from the Liberals and cut socially progressive programs like the court challenges program, he said.

"Imagine what would happened if we would have left them a $42-billion deficit," he said.

Saying he just arrived from travels to numerous places, including Hong Kong and china, Chretien said: "Everywhere they are puzzled about us ... 'How come Canada broke its word on Kyoto?', I heard in Germany and in France.

"Everybody expected us to follow the rule that when a country gives its word, this country keeps its word."

The Chretien government signed the accord eight years ago and ratified it in 2002. However, it didn't introduce a climate change plan until 2005 despite having promised one in its 1993 election platform.

The Conservatives have said the Liberals allowed greenhouse gas emissions to rise 35 per cent above the Kyoto target, and that while it supports the accord, it cannot meet the 2012 target of reducing emissions.

"Now that the Conservatives broke the House of Commons' word on Kyoto, how can they come now to the same House of Commons and say, 'don't break your word on Afghanistan?' That's going to be a problem," Chretien said.

Former prime minister John Turner also addressed the crowd as they waited for the final ballot, but he put the focus on party renewal.

"New leadership is not enough, we also need to rebuild the party with new people and new policies," he said. "And we've got to rebuild from the bottom up, not the top down."

I like this one, from CBC:

Chrétien to PM: 'Can I call you Steve, like George W.?'

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien launched a scathing attack on Stephen Harper Saturday as he took the podium in front of a Liberal audience for the first time in three years.

Chrétien, speaking before results from the fourth and final ballot to determine the party's next leader were announced in Montreal, uncorked arguably the most direct and clever jabs at Harper of the entire convention, in which the Tory prime minister was a popular target.

"Stephen, can I call you Steve, like George W.?" he said, garnering a large laugh from the audience of 5,000 Liberal delegates.

"Do not adjust your sets," Chrétien said following the rapturous applause. "What you see is what you get."

Chrétien cited international response he gauged during a recent trip to China and Europe over the Harper government abandoning Canada's emissions-cutting targets under the Kyoto Protocol.

"We are losing a lot of ground," he said. "Everybody expected us to follow the rule that when a country gave its word, it would keep its word."
Continue Article

The Conservatives have said the targets cannot be realistically met.

Chrétien also slammed Harper's handling of China at the recent APEC summit in Hanoi.

"Engage them, don't insult them," he said, in reference to Harper's criticism of China's human rights record ahead of a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Martin part of 'old, great Liberal family'

Chrétien, who led the Liberals to three consecutive majority governments, said the next leader must remember he is guiding the party that brought Canadians the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, eliminated the deficit and opposed the war in Iraq.

He also offered brief praise to former prime minister Paul Martin and his wife, Sheila, who he said were part of the "old, great Liberal family."

He also recalled attending his first Liberal leadership convention as a young member of the Laval University Liberals Association.

"And I voted for Paul Martin Sr.," he said, earning a chuckle from even his successor and most bitter foe.

The convention, which was hoped to be a weekend of renewal for the Liberals from past fissures between camps loyal to Chrétien and those tied with Martin, was given a flash of the old conflicts Friday when Chrétien gave reporters his verdict on Martin's performance as prime minister.

"He didn't win," Chrétien said bluntly before delegates began voting.

When asked what made a good leader, Chrétien offered: "Somebody who wins."

tag: china, canada, jean chretien, stephen harper, china policy, foreign policy, trade

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China does not always carry out death penalty, CIC says

Citizenship and immigration Canada aruges in a recently filed court document that China does not always carry out the death penalty, and thus Lai Changxing (賴昌星) could be extradicted without worrying him being executed.

The document says China did not execute China's former vice police chief Li Jizhou (李紀周) and Fujian vice police chief Zhuang Rushun (莊如順) although both were sentenced to death in the Yuan Hua trial.

The Yuan Hua case is China's largest smuggling crime ever busted. Its No.1 suspect Lai Changxing is currently in Vancouver appealing an earlier removal assessment decision that was unfavourable to him.

The federal court of Canada has scheduled to hear the judicial review on Jan 16, 2007. Whether Lai Changxing might be executed after deported to China will be the main focus of argument from both sides.

Lai Changxing had foretold that after being extradicted to China he would "die in the prison because of some kind of illness", hinting that though he would not be executed but would be killed by the authorities using other reasons.

It was also believed that the scope of the Yuan Hua case is so far-reaching that many people in high positions do not want Lai Changxing to testify in a Chinese court and expose their crimes.

Lai has been saying that many "friends" are helping him with the legal process in Canada and supporting his life in Vancouver. The last apartment that he rented was located at the expensive Coal Harbour in the heart of downtown Vancouver with a monthly rent of over $2000.

Lawyer representing CIC Esta Resnick argues in the document that while Li Jizhou got the death penalty in 2001, his good performance in jail allows him to get 18 years instead of execution in April 2006.

Zhuang Rushun was also sentenced to death. The penalty was reduced to death sentence with a two-year reprieve. Two years later in 2006, the court further agreed to further reduce his sentence to life imprisonment.

Tags: china, canada, Lai Cheongsing, Lai Changxing, Yuan Hua, smuggling

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China knows that Canada needs to follow the law in dealing with Lai Changxing: new consul general

China hopes that the Lai Changxing (賴昌星) case can be resolved as soon as it can under the Canadian laws, new consul general to Vancouver Yang Qiang (楊強) said.

"Vancouver is a beautiful city. It shouldn't become a place that 'hides and keeps dirt'," Yang strongly hinted.

Yang has arrived in Vancouver for a week. He replaced the previous consul general Tian Chunyan who retired after serving two years in Vancouver.

Yang met with the Chinese media for the first time at the consulate yesterday and was unafraid of answering many tough questions.

When asked about whether the extended stay of Lai Changxing, China's most wanted fugitive, would negatively affect China-Canada relations, Yang said he would like to see this case be resolved as soon as possible, within the legal limit of Canada. He emphasized that Lai being the No.1 suspect in China's largest ever smuggling crime, it's needless to say what kind of person he is.

Yang said China's position on the Lai Changxing case has always been very clear. However, China understands that Canada has its own judicial system and China respects Canadian laws.

Canada's international trade minister David Emerson has said previously: "China needs to understand... that in a Canadian legal and constitutional context, there are things we can do and things we can't do."

What Yang said yesterday was sort of replying Emerson that "China knows."

Yang didn't think China-Canada relation was frozen. He said the Tory gov needed time to understand China and its society, culture etc.

Development may be slowed but it's normal, he said. He believed that when the two countries understand each other more and embrace each other's differences and respect each other, China-Canada relations would continue to grow.

When asked about the display hut set up by Falungong outside the consulate, Yang said no one and no organization could be above the law in any countries that are ruled by the law. He said it's the duty of any citizens to respect the law and prosecuting anyone who break the law is the common principle shared by the whole world.

Yang also believed that China and Canada would sign the ADS tourism pact, as it's a win-win situation for both countries. He said "unfinished preparation works" are halting the final signature of ADS. But he's confident that ADS would a must-go at the end.

Tags: china, canada, diplomacy, foreign policy, , tourism, ADS, Lai Changxing, Lai Cheongsing, Yuan Hua, smuggling

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CMHC consumer intentions to buy property survey 2006

CMHC CONSUMER INTENTIONS TO BUY SURVEY 2006

	2006 (%)	2005 (%)
In which community are you most likely to buy a home?
North Shore	6	10
DT Vancouver	4	7
Vancouver West	8.2	12
Vancouver East	8.2	8
Burnaby/New West.	11	12
Tri-cities/Richmond	13.5	13
Surrey, Delta, Langley	23.3	20
Abbotsford, Mission	2	1
Would you most likely to purchase a…
Single detached	58.5	53
Duplex	3.5	6
Townhouse	12.5	18
Apartment	20.8	19
What are the main reason why you decided not to buy a residence now?
Change or worry about financial or employment situation	6.3	n/a
Cost too high	55	58
Decided to renovate/just renovated	1.9	1
Can't find a suitable house/location	6.3	5
Can't sell existing home	0.6	1
Prefer to rent/Don't want to own	1.3	1
Personal reaons	5.6	7

Tags: real estate, realty, property, cmhc, housing, survey, vancouver, richmond, burnaby

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Detached homes sold prices, Jan-Oct 2006

SINGLE DETACHED UNITS SOLD PRICES Jan-Oct 2006

	Median Price 2005	Median Price 2006	%	Average Price 2005	Average Price 2006	%
Burnaby	565,900	678,000	19.8	573,628	732,615	27.7
Coquitlam	535,000	617,000	15.3	529,154	620,559	17.3
Maple Ridge	404,950	485,000	19.8	408,950	495,661	21.2
New Westminster	389,000	462,900	19.0	409,053	489,344	19.6
North Van City	789,500	898,000	13.7	818,800	913,391	11.6
Pt. Coquitlam	429,800	460,000	7.0	447,009	480,171	7.4
Pt. Moody	545,000	609,950	11.9	581,998	664,981	14.3
Richmond	559,900	719,500	28.5	597,429	778,767	30.4
Surrey	489,000	525,900	7.5	525,072	574,108	9.3
Vancouver	630,000	754,000	19.7	771,063	954,401	23.8

SOURCE: CMHC, HOUSING NOW released Nov 2006

Tags: real estate, realty, vancouver, burnaby, cmhc, richmond, housing

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Faces of Taiwan 4

More food, food, food!!!

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

Tags: taiwan, taipei, ding tai fung, dumpling, xiao long bao, food, travelling, tourist

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Head tax fighter offers feast, sharing compensation money

What a good way to show respect to heroes! Charlie Quan is a really cute person. :)

Press release from Sid Tan:

Charlie Quan (關祥國, right in photo, the first recipient of the head tax compensation cheque) is spending some of his hard earned ex gratia payment to buy a few roast piggies and throw a feed. You are the special media invited to attend.

Quon Lung Sai Tong (關隴西堂), Charlie Quan's association, are hosting a call to Kwan Kung, who I claim is patron protector of warriors, writers and artists, to give Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Gordon Campbell the wisdom and courage to treat head tax families equally and give them all a just and honourable redress.

Where: Quon Lung Sai Tong, 164 East Hastings, Vancouver
When: 12:45pm Sunday December 3, 2006

Members of the Head Tax Families Society of Canada and other redress seeking groups will be in attendance. I'll certainly be there, given the spread expected - roast piggie!!!

Who is Kwan Kung, or Guan Gong, or Guan Yu? Read wiki's story. In short, he's a folklore hero famous for his righteousness, loyalty and bravery. He was deified not long after his death.... still a very popular deity to many Chinese who believe by worshipping Kwan Kung one would be protected from evils.

Tags: china, canada, chinese, head tax, headtax, guan gong

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Chinese Canadian population in Quebec, by selected cities

Chinese Canadian pop in Quebec, by selected cities

	Ttl pop	Ttl visible minority	Chinese	Chinese/ ttl min.	Chinese/ ttl pop
Montréal	3,380,645	458,330	52,110	11.4	1.5
Trois-Rivières	134,645	1,240	90	7.3	0.1
Sherbrooke	150,385	3,835	245	6.4	0.2

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA, CENSUS 2001

See also:
Chinese Canadian pop in Canada
Chinese Canadian pop in Canada, by province
Chinese Canadian pop in BC, Greater Vancouver area
Chinese Canadian pop changes in BC, Greater Vancouver, 96-01
Recent Chinese imm pop in BC, Greater Vancouver
Chinese Canadian pop in BC, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Ontario, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Alberta, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Quebec, by selected cities

Tags: population, chinese, canadian, census, stats, quebec, montreal

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Chinese Canadian population in Alberta, by selected cities

Chinese Canadian population in Alberta, by selected cities

	Ttl pop	Ttl visible minority	Chinese	Chinese/ ttl min.	Chinese/ ttl pop
Calgary	943,310	164,900	51,850	31.4	5.5
Edmonton	927,020	135,770	41,285	30.4	4.5

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA, CENSUS 2001

See also:
Chinese Canadian pop in Canada
Chinese Canadian pop in Canada, by province
Chinese Canadian pop in BC, Greater Vancouver area
Chinese Canadian pop changes in BC, Greater Vancouver, 96-01
Recent Chinese imm pop in BC, Greater Vancouver
Chinese Canadian pop in BC, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Ontario, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Alberta, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Quebec, by selected cities

Tags: population, chinese, canadian, census, stats, calgary, edmonton, alberta

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Chinese Canadian population in Ontario, selected cities

Chinese Canadian population in Ontario, selected cities

	Ttl pop	Ttl visible minority	Chinese	Chinese/ ttl min.%	Chinese/ ttl pop%
Toronto	4,647,960	1,712,535	409,530	23.9	8.8
Hamilton	655,055	64,380	9,000	14.0	1.4
St.Cat./Niagara	371,400	16,845	2,665	15.8	0.7
Kitchener	409,770	43,770	5,895	13.5	1.4
London	427,215	38,300	4,660	12.2	1.1
Thunder Bay	120,365	2,690	420	15.6	0.3
Windsor	304,955	39,330	5,710	14.5	1.9
Oshawa	293,550	20,690	2,355	11.4	0.8
Ottawa	1,050,755	148,680	28,810	19.4	2.7
Greater Sudbury	153,890	3,125	715	22.9	0.5

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA, CENSUS 2001

See also:
Chinese Canadian pop in Canada
Chinese Canadian pop in Canada, by province
Chinese Canadian pop in BC, Greater Vancouver area
Chinese Canadian pop changes in BC, Greater Vancouver, 96-01
Recent Chinese imm pop in BC, Greater Vancouver
Chinese Canadian pop in BC, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Ontario, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Alberta, by selected cities
Chinese Canadian pop in Quebec, by selected cities

Tags: stats, immigration, immigrants, chinese, canadian, canada, population

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Chong wins hearts of Chinese Canadians by standing up for national unity

Michael Chong's resignation from the Tory cabinet over Québécois as a nation within a united Canada" has earned him reputation among Chinese Canadians.

Chong was the minister of intergovernmental affairs and sport and was the first full federal minister with Chinese blood (his father was from China and mother from Holland). He resigned last week over the "nation" resolution, which he called "ethnic nationalism."

"The reason why I got involved in politics is my belief in this nation we call Canada. I believe in this great country of ours and I believe in one nation, undivided," he said. "This is a fundamental principle for me, not something on which I can or will compromise. Not now, not ever."

Senior Conservative member and friend of former Tory PM Brian Mulroney Dr Joseph Yu (余嶽興) applauded Chong's strong stance on fighting Quebec independence movement.

Dr Yu is an influential figure in Winnipeg's Chinese community and was a recipient of the Order of Manitoba.

Yu believed Harper would "very possibly" invite Chong to rejoin the cabinet after the "nation" controversy was over.

"Chong's decision has gained widespread support and sympathy in the Conservative party, especially among those in the West. Harper dare to gamble national unity and please French voters in Quebec... he might get negative results, he might burn himself," Dr Yu said.

Liu Yaohua (劉耀華), consultant on Chinese community affairs for Tories' Montreal chapter, said: "Chong won respect by upholding principle. And his resignation is a correct step to allow the party to continue demonstrate its unity."

Liu added that what Harper needs to do now is to explain to Canadians of other ethnicities, what the definition of "nation" is.

Yan Gongzhan (閻公展), an executive of the Conservatives' multicultural committee in the East, described Chong as "the model of all Chinese Canadian politicians."

Fei Wensheng (斐文生), director of Ottawa Chinese Benevolent Assn and senior Tory member in the Ottawa area, said the principled personality Chong has shown would shield him from being negatively affected by the current "nation" controversy. He strongly believed that Harper would appoint him as minister some time in the future.

On local online forum frequented by Chinese immigrants westca.com, readers are saying that Chong's insistence on principles is a slap in the face to other Chinese politicians such as Raymond Chan.

Tags: canada, chinese canadian, politics, nation, quebec, michael chong, stephen harper

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The politicization of place names....only in Taiwan

One thing that has surprised me during this Taiwan trip is that all English location names on Metro Taipei are in Hanyu Pinyin, a transliteration method of Chinese characters created and used by the People's Republic of China.

Taiwan has been reluctant to use the PRC's Pinyin, for political reasons obviously. Taiwan has its own set of transliteration rules called Wade-Giles, which used to be the standard method used by the academics before the 80s.

My friend told me that Taipei had debated about whether to use Pinyin for location names years ago. The point the mayor of Taipei Ma Ying-jeou made was that English place names were supposed to help foreigners/visitors navigate around the city. Pinyin is now the standard transliteration method used elsewhere in the world. Should place names serve visitors or politics? Ma chose the former.

Of course, the reason why Ma was willing to use Pinyin was also that his affiliated political party is the more pro-China KMT, not the DPP that wants to push for an independent Taiwan.

Taiwan is such a politically divided country.... really opens my eyes!

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US warming up with China, India

And when will Stephen Harper et al?

US warming up with China, India

Houston, Dec 01: Americans are increasingly feeling positive about India even as their warmest feelings are reserved for England, Canada and Israel, a new survey has found.

The "Global Thermometer survey" by Quinnipiac University, released on Thursday, said that the Americans' warmth towards India and China has grown the most since a previous poll conducted in August. However, several nations still get the cold shoulder, according to the study.

The Global Thermometer measured the warmth of American voters' feelings toward a list of foreign nations on a scale of 0-100.

It found that the ratings for 13 nations increased since the August 28 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll.

England, Canada and Israel remained the nations generating the warmest feelings among Americans. Americans' warmth towards China, India and Israel grew the most.

Iran and North Korea remain at the bottom of the rankings. North Korea, Iraq and Venezuela were the nations whose ratings fell.

"Although the changes are in some cases quite small, the trend is unmistakable," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Bureau Report

Houston, Dec 01: Americans are increasingly feeling positive about India even as their warmest feelings are reserved for England, Canada and Israel, a new survey has found.

The "Global Thermometer survey" by Quinnipiac University, released on Thursday, said that the Americans' warmth towards India and China has grown the most since a previous poll conducted in August. However, several nations still get the cold shoulder, according to the study.

The Global Thermometer measured the warmth of American voters' feelings toward a list of foreign nations on a scale of 0-100.

It found that the ratings for 13 nations increased since the August 28 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll.

England, Canada and Israel remained the nations generating the warmest feelings among Americans. Americans' warmth towards China, India and Israel grew the most.

Iran and North Korea remain at the bottom of the rankings. North Korea, Iraq and Venezuela were the nations whose ratings fell.

"Although the changes are in some cases quite small, the trend is unmistakable," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Tags: canada, china, india, US

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Homophobia causes AIDS: study

Homophobia causes AIDS

Study fingers anti-gay sentiment as a major factor in HIV’s spread among black men

Washington, D.C.--The verdict is in, again. Homophobia is a major cause of AIDS among black men.

"Homophobia evidenced through stigma, discrimination and violence . . . creates vulnerability to behaviors and conditions associated with risk for HIV infection among black men who have sex with men,"says the National Minority AIDS Council in a paper released on World AIDS Day.

The report is arguably the loudest alarm to date on the role of anti-gay sentiment in the spread of HIV among black men.

"Investing in research to produce interventions that will work for a diverse population of black MSM [men who have sex with men] is essential to a national prevention effort that will reverse the course of the epidemic in this population,"wrote the report’s author, Robert E. Fullilove, an associate dean of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University.

Black Americans become infected with and die from HIV and AIDS far more than any other racial or ethnic group, and Fullilove wanted to examine why.

The report says, "African Americans comprised only 13 percent of the U.S. population but accounted for half of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. The disease strikes subgroups of African Americans, especially young women and gay, bisexual, or same-gender loving men."

Fullilove also noted that "African Americans with HIV/AIDS are more likely than other racial groups to postpone medical care and become hospitalized, with the result that they are more likely to die from HIV-related causes."

Advances in retroviral medications have reduced AIDS related deaths among whites by 19 percent, but only seven percent among blacks, from 2000 to 2004.

"HIV’s racial divide is not new,"wrote Fullilove. "Each year we ask the same question: Why is AIDS hitting black Americans hardest?"

Fullilove goes on to answer that question saying, "The HIV/AIDS epidemic in African-American communities results from a complex set of social, individual and environmental factors."

One of those factors, according to Fullilove, is "community and religious beliefs often stigmatize homosexuality as both immoral, but also as anti-black."

Fullilove’s study of the scientific literature indicates that because of that stigma, black men who have sex with men are less likely to identify as gay or disclose their sexual behavior to others.

"The considerable stigma and homophobia experienced by many black MSM can also have an impact on their self-esteem and behaviors,"wrote Fullilove.

"One study found a reduction in self-esteem among black MSM who attended churches that fostered homophobia,"Fullilove continued. "For some black MSM, this loss of self-esteem undermined the individual’s ability to practice safe sex, seek medical care in a timely fashion, or follow other health practices essential to well being."

"Rebuilding self-esteem is an important task for those involved with AIDS treatment and prevention,"Fullilove concluded.

The report highlights five other factors, including economic disparity and lack of access to health care that is also credited with higher rates and lower treatment among blacks compared to whites in other diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Fullilove also pays a lot of attention to incarcerated men, where the rate of infection is three times higher than in the general population.

"Ensuring access to condoms in prisons would not only protect prisoners, but also the health and the lives of the people in the communities to which they will return,"Fullilove wrote.

"Prisons increasingly hold members of poor communities who are both under-educated and unemployable,"wrote Fullilove, also advocating voluntary, routine HIV testing to prisoners on entry and release.

In 2004, African-American males were seven times more likely than whites and three times more likely than Hispanic males to be imprisoned, according to the Department of Justice. The federal government’s "War on Drugs"is a major contributor to this disparity.

Approximately one quarter of people living with HIV, known or unknown, are believed to pass through correctional facilities.

Fullilove describes prisons themselves as "independent risk factors for HIV infection because prisoners engage in unsafe sex and drug injection practices while ‘on the inside.’ "He condemns public officials who are keeping condoms out of correctional facilities, presumably also due to homophobia.

Ohio’s HIV cases resemble the national figures, with the exception of the Hispanic population, according to Ohio Department of Health data from 2004, the most recent available.

Fullilove studied the Hispanic population, but to a much lesser degree than African-Americans. There, he also found disproportionately high infection and morbidity rates compared to whites, and for some of the same socioeconomic reasons.

Forty eight percent of Ohio’s 2004 infections were among whites and 41 percent among blacks, despite Ohio’s total population being 86 percent white. Infection among Ohio’s Hispanic community was five percent.

Men who have sex with men lead Ohio’s infections, too, at 39 percent of new infections in 2004, most between the ages of 30 and 39.

"This report has made clear that policy and legislative reforms need to focus on structural interventions that will address the root causes of the overrepresentation of African-Americans in the HIV/AIDS epidemic,"Fullilove concluded. "Such reforms will not only improve efforts to prevent HIV, they will improve the chances of survival for those African Americans already living with HIV/AIDS."

"The development of interventions capable of creating tolerance, acceptance and compassion represents a significant and vital challenge for behavioral intervention specialists."

Tags: gay, homosexual, homophobia, AIDS

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Is China ready to deal with yet another 'new' Canadian government?

Macleans carries an analysis on how China-Canada relations would play out with the Liberal leadership frontrunners.

Back to the good old days?

Under any of the leadership contenders, and Bob Rae in particular, a Liberal government would return to the business-first approach to Canada-China relations Chris Selley, Macleans.ca

To some observers, Stephen Harper's performance on the China file earlier this month was a refreshing break from years of unprincipled Liberal doublespeak. If you're not going to accomplish anything, went the logic, you might as well look good doing it.
The more common belief was that Harper's approach was at best inappropriately brusque and lacking in diplomacy - or perhaps, as Don Martin described it in the National Post, a "galloping blunder."

The four main Liberal leadership contenders were either in the latter camp, or they had nothing to say about it at all. And although none of them would offer a sea change from Liberal policy under Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, their positions - particularly those of the two frontrunners - highlight the lingering affection among Liberals for the good old days of Chinese-Canadian relations.

For all the concerns raised about Michael Ignatieff's tolerance for the Bush administration, he has often stressed the importance of an independent Canadian foreign policy. "Our relations with China and with Cuba have not always been popular with others," he states in his ponderous Foreign Policy Agenda for Canada, "but they have allowed us to play a role in these countries which has enhanced both our commercial and our political interests."
Ignatieff was even more spirited in a 2004 speech: "The recognition of Cuba, good decision: the Americans don't like it, tough. The recognition of China, good decision: Americans don't like it, tough."

The frontrunner claims to be less impressed with Stephen Harper's bravado at the APEC summit in Vietnam. The way to approach human rights with the Chinese, Ignatieff told CBC News, "is to get in a room with the Chinese president and say 'here are the files, here are the issues where we have specific disagreements with you; how can we work to get these things resolved?'

"It's always very pleasurable to stand up and give speeches defending Canadian principles," he said, but insisted that the chest-thumping approach "just doesn't work with the Chinese."

So what approach does work? The CBC's Evan Solomon managed to extract an answer from a typically guarded Ignatieff. His theory, more or less, is that Canada can have the best of both worlds.
"We've got a very low percentage of the Chinese market," he told Solomon, "and that's I think where the future of our economy lies. So we've got to do that [promote business] and we've also got to say, when we meet privately with Chinese leaders, 'look, labour standards are an issue for us. Religious freedom is an issue for us. The treatment of our nationals… is an issue.' You don't sacrifice your values when you go into a room with the Chinese. You stand for your values. But you also don't give them lectures."

Harper's meeting with the Dalai Lama is often cited as an aggravating factor in the current "chill" in relations between Canada and China. So, Solomon asked, would Prime Minister Ignatieff meet him? The professor ducked and weaved like a prizefighter, eventually allowing that he would meet the Tibetan leader, but only after explaining to Beijing exactly "what's being said."

Those pining for the less conflicted, overtly pro-business China policies of successive Liberal governments need look no further than Bob Rae, who has far and away the most extensive record of dealing with Chinese issues despite his lack of experience in federal politics. Indeed, though he was a New Democrat during his time as premier of Ontario, his China résumé reads like a dyed-in-the-wool Chrétien Liberal's.

Rae was an enthusiastic participant in the 1994 Team Canada trade mission to China, having abandoned a previous belief that human rights abusers (notably South Africa) should be economically isolated. "I've reached the conclusion," he said, "that the way to have the most impact is by being present, not absent. If we were to pull out, not bid on any infrastructure projects, pull all our people out, it would not matter one whit. The British and the French would be there in a minute."

His "unabashed purpose" in China, Rae said, was "to sell Canada, Canadian goods and Canadian industry."

These were not exactly core NDP values, and Rae faced fierce criticism as a result. "What irks about Rae," wrote the Toronto Star's Thomas Walkom at the time, "is the enthusiasm with which he pursues his new position on delinking human rights from trade. At least Clinton limited his flip-flop to China. Rae has made the primacy of trade over rights a general principle."

Rae fared little better when he returned home, his pockets bulging with contracts and letters of intent promising business opportunities and new jobs for Ontarians. Federal NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin was particularly unimpressed with a tentative deal to sell Candu nuclear reactors to the Chinese. "When there is so much talk in this country about mortgaging the future of our children, we seem much more flexible about mortgaging the future of people in other countries," she said at an Ontario NDP conference at which Rae sat "glumly at the podium, The Globe and Mail reported.

Twelve years later, Rae's position hasn't changed. While Harper was holding court on human rights and deflecting blame for his on-again off-again meeting with President Hu Jintao, Rae was meeting with Chinese community leaders in Winnipeg and expressing his dissatisfaction. "We can't afford to be uninvolved with China," he said, describing Harper's approach as "pre-Nixon." Calling China's leaders "sophisticated," the Globe reported, he again stressed the importance of diplomacy.

Rae's links to those Liberal China strategies are more than philosophical. The Canada-China Business Council counts Rae among its directors. André Desmarais, CEO of Power Corporation - which through its subsidiaries has enormous business interests in China - is the Council's Honorary Chairman, and his father, Paul Desmarais, is its Founding Chairman. John Rae, brother of Bob and former advisor to Jean Chrétien, is on Power Corp's Board of Directors; Chrétien is André Desmarais' father-in-law.

As Konrad Yakabuski reported last week in the Globe, the younger Desmarais "is now widely considered - by Brian Mulroney, among others - to be the most-connected Canadian in China." The Desmarais family, reportedly furious with Harper's recently pugnacious tone, has contributed to the Rae campaign to the tune of $18,500.

As for the other two serious leadership contenders, they seem neither as conflicted as Ignatieff nor as committed as Rae.
Gerard Kennedy stayed out of the fray during Harper's trip to Asia, but his campaign provided Macleans.ca with a statement criticizing the Tories' approach. "The Harper government is using the Chinese human rights abuses as a media show to Canadians," it alleges.

While praising the "constructive approach" of the Chrétien and Martin governments and the "frank but friendly relationship" that resulted, Kennedy promises to go further: "A Kennedy government will... follow the lead of Australia and other countries to negotiate agreements to help Canadian businesses gain greater access to Chinese markets while remaining serious, constructive and vigilant when it comes to human rights."
Meanwhile, Stéphane Dion is running on his "three pillars" - the economy, the environment and social justice - and less, if at all, on foreign policy. In past appearances he has portrayed China primarily as an economic challenge to Canada's 21st century ambitions, taking swipes at both his Liberal leadership rivals and the Conservative government.

"Apparently, China is graduating three hundred thousand more engineers every year," Dion said at his campaign launch in April. "And now Stephen Harper plans to slice $8 billion from the $9.4 billion budget for the five-year plan that the Liberal government created for research, innovation and post-secondary education."

Attempts to reach Dion campaign officials for comment on human rights concerns - and how their candidate would balance them with his economic focus - were unsuccessful.

Tags: china, canada, foreign policy, diplomacy, trade

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Faces of Taiwan 3

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!!! That's why I'm here in Taiwan!

I went to the Shida Road Night Market last night. Oh boy, it was huge! Spanning over five to six blocks, there were tonnes of local specialty foods that were only in Taiwan. They all looked yummy (except those intestines and livers etc....) but I could only eat that much.

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

Tags: taiwan, food, night market, taipei, shida road, photo, travelling

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Faces of Taiwan 2

I visited the Longshan Temple in Taipei, built 1723 during the Qing Dynasty. I'm surprised that I've learnt a lot about the Chinese culture from it.

For instance, in the temple's main hall where Buddha statues are located, you can find thousands and thousands of candles surrounding pillars and covering walls. These are not just mere candles you would light up in a church. They are called "Candles of Light" (光明燈). Each candle is placed in a small space under which there is a name tag indicating whose this candle is belonged to. Yes, they "sell" candle spaces for a price. It's their belief that those who have a "Candle of Light" put in the temple hall would be blessed 24/7 by the Buddha -- because of the proximity to Buddhist statues etc.

Most interesting, these candle spaces are priced according to their location. The closer to the Buddhist statues, the more expensive they are. You can see how entrepreneurial Chinese people are. :)

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

Tags: taipei, taiwan, longshan temple, buddha, photo, travelling

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Bush and PM Brokebacked in TV sketch

(caption: this is a photoshopped picture I did quite some time ago... thought it should go well with the following story... :D)

Bush and PM Brokebacked in TV sketch

QUEBEC -- A TV sketch portraying U.S. President George W. Bush's naked torso and Stephen Harper's nipples has landed Parti Quebecois Leader Andre Boisclair in hot water.

Boisclair, who was having second thoughts Wednesday about his decision to be in the sketch, appears in a TV parody of "Brokeback Mountain'' that features caricatures of a partially naked Harper and Bush.

"I didn't see the entirety of the sketch,'' Boisclair told reporters in Quebec City. "I did it in good faith and I think that people will judge for themselves.''

Brokeback Mountain, which tells the love story of two gay cowboys, picked up three Academy Awards at last year's Oscars.

In the sketch, the prime minister and the U.S. president are portrayed naked from the waist up in a tent. Images of their faces are attached to actors' bodies.

Bush at one point throws cherries at Harper's nipples which are covered with whipped cream.

After the cherries land on the nipples, Boisclair is seen opening the tent flap and saying that Quebec isn't getting involved in that.

Clips of the sketch were broadcast on several French-language news programs Tuesday night, prompting a stern reaction from members of Jean Charest's government Wednesday.

"It makes me uncomfortable,'' said Environment Minister Claude Bechard. "But it's up to him to explain why he did it, and what the context is and all that.''

Education Minister Jean-Marc Fournier said Boisclair's appearance in the sketch was in poor taste.

"I didn't find it particularly edifying,'' he said Wednesday. "I leave it to Mr. Boisclair to defend his judgement.''

Even Boisclair, who is openly gay, admitted he was having second-thoughts about his cameo appearance.

"When I see all the debate it sparked, it's clear I wouldn't do it again,'' he said.

The sketch is to be played on MusiMax on Dec. 22.

MusiMax, which is part of the CHUM network, broadcasts music videos and programs catering to the soft-rock market.

Tags: brokeback mountain, george w bush, prime minister, musicmax, Parti Quebecois, Andre Boisclair

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Faces of Taiwan 1

See my Tabblo>

I'm finally in Taipei.

My first feeling is that this city is really crazy about politics. Taiwan is having a civic election on Dec 9 and campaigning is everywhere. I told my friend that I wanted to go to Taiwan now because I wanted to feel how this young democracy, the first full democracy enjoyed by people of Chinese descent, is working.

As I always say, democracy in Taiwan may still be in its infant stage and not everything is perfect, but I'm very, very proud of it, mainly from the macro historical view. Things that look important now -- be it Chen Shui-bian's corruption, Chen's tactic of stirring up internal conflicts etc -- will be deemed minute if history looks back. What really IS important to history is Taiwan's insistence in fighting for democracy and its far-fetching impact.

I went to the public square outside the Taipei railway station where the anti-Chen Shui-bian "red army" continues its demonstration. The "red army" is leaving the square as they can't occupy a public space for too long. But I could still feel, hear the anger left by the "red army".

I'm sharing some of the pictures with the readers here. Pls click photolink above for more pictures.

To see more of my photography, please go to here.

See also:
Local Taiwanese back anti-Chen campaign
Taiwan mass rallies scare off travellers

Tags: taiwan, democracy, corruption, chen shui-bian, taiwan election

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China strikes back .... in a small way, for now

China's blunt talk surprised visitors
Frustrations aired to Canadian legislators

OTTAWA -- Canada-China business relations are suffering considerable damage as a result of the frosty nature of the political climate between Ottawa and Beijing, say Canadian parliamentarians who received an unusually blunt critique during a recent trip to Beijing.