Somehow this sneak attack rings a harmonic bell with a Vancouver event of yesterday. It was May 30, another one of B.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Patrick Dohm's Days in which he calls lawyers into his courtroom to decide (again) to postpone the trials of Basi and Virk, Paul Martin's top B.C. campaigners charged with corruption.

The abuse of Dr Tewolde is a sneaky, underhanded, dishonourable way for the Liberal Party to implement a rotten policy harmful to Africa, to Montreal, and to agriculture. The silencing of Basi and Virk is also a sneaky, dishonourable abuse of the judiciary for the purpose of protecting Paul Martin's and Gordon Campbell's governments.

For cryin' out loud, Saddam Hussein will be tried within 2 months. Why not Basi & Virk?

will the 21st century be the story of how Canadians lost our country..of how we finally lost out to continentalist forces --or will we create another story...of how citizen sovereign power re-invigorated democracy - thereby maintaining our sovereignty as a democratic and free nation?

Another great article by Murray Dobbin. Really critically astute point you are making, Murray, when you say the plan for "the dismantling of Canada and the neutering of government" is being "slowly implemented by stealth by parts of the federal bureaucracy". Exactly, the plan is well underway, by the relinquishing of our sovereignty, bit by debilitating bit.

Listened to the CBC news last night, and the latest "bit" to be chiselled off our autonomy as a country is the new American proposal demanding that any flight passing through US airspace, even if it doesn't land, must fisrt submit its passengers' names, citizenship, birthdays, and possibly their addresses and credit card details. Since many east-west flights in Canada briefly enter US air space, Canadian airlines would have to provide details on their domestic passengers." A real loss of control, a real loss of sovereignty for Canada.

This is a very diplomatically covert war against our country, and since our leaders are failing us by their collusion in this regard, their consistently fawning behavior of sleeping with the enemy, it is the people themselves that must wake up and draw the line in the sand - let the line be drawn as quickly and as noisily as possible.

Accountability and transparency are a serious hindrance to business.

Of course Canada is on the boat with the US, we can’t really get off the North American ship now.

And yet, Paul Martin said no to Ballistic Missile Defense, Jean Chretien said no to Iraq. We may not always stand with Americans in their issues, but these are our closest allies and we turned them down flat so we make up for it in other ways. One of those ways is by denying critics of major US corporations to roam freely.

Politicians do a good job of keeping up the defiant masquerade when it comes to the superpower next door, but in back room deals, sovereignty is signed away in small barely noticeable steps. The Tyee has noticed.

The problem is that the US is run by large corporations, you must replace the president every eight years but not Alan Greenspan.

Corporations are unaccountable in the extreme, if they ever get in trouble, they dissolve and the money turns up elsewhere.

Dr. Tewolde Egziabher was a proponent of accountability and he was denied entry to Canada for these beliefs.

The politicians are puppets to financial supporters, just follow their strings and they will lead you back to the same few places.

It seems a while ago, but there was a time when it seemd inevitable that Canada would be consumed by the mighty US. Nowadays, they don't want us, even Stephen Harper is considered a pansy in the religious zeal of US politics.

So corporate power would rather control Canadian policy than actually devour the country whole. And they do this in back rooms far from prying eyes like those of Dr. Tewolde Egziabher.

It is important for the world that Canada’s sovereignty be maintained, we are what the Americans wish they could be -- free without the overwhelming military burden.

Canada is a peaceful nation and American corporations do not want peace, war is a big part of their portfolio and peace would be very bad for the American economy.

The capitalist system props all these things up and it will not hold against even the lightest of scrutiny.

Keep up the good work Tyee.

The NDP needs to champion these issues in the next election. They can be the pro-Canada party spelling out how the Liberals and Conservatives are dissolving our country. At least the Conservatives are up-front on how they would do it.

What is surprising is these parties champion globalisation but only focus on trade with one country, Mexico is tacked on just to make it look broader based.

I suggest we have four trade ministers one each for the americas, africa, asia and europe. Then we could have focus on trading with the world.

It will be difficult with our major corporations in foreign hands.

Another great article.

The same thing is happening all over the world. That is why the French voted Non. The Dutch will vote no too.

It's hard to believe that people we elected could betray us in this way. But, it is important to believe it.

They just came out with a study that found Monsanto's GM corn causes blood and kidney disorders that reflect tumour growth in rats. Is it a surprise that crops engineered to kill insects will kill us?

I haven't seen one article in the NA press. It was carried in the UK.

What is interesting is the the main-stream media are constantly promoting "free market" solutions for most problems advocate the exact opposite when it comes to marketing GM foods. All that has to be done is label GM foods plainly for all to see and let the market forces determine if they succeed or fail.

Great writing, Mr. Dobbin. I watched a government minister refuse to answer a question in the house regarding why Mr. Egziabher was refused. He said he couldn't answer because of privacy laws and that he was sure the agency had given him proper consideration for entry. Something is very, very rotten! It's a bit scary to comtemplate the amount of pressure the Canadian government must have been under for them to do this. They were, after all, strong enough to muster the guts to refuse to send troops to Iraq or to join in the new Star Wars.

Truman, I think the difference between this kind of thing and Iraq or Star Wars is visibility..

A public show of independence on Iraq or Star Wars (when Canada has very little other than credibility to lend to either) is extremely politically expedient. And it can be made up for by doing a bunch of small (read as "low visibility") favours for the Americans at virtually no political cost.

I mean really, is the treatment of Tewolde Egziabher (who? ask the vast majority of Canadians) going to be an election issue? Of course not.

Would Star Wars or Iraq be election issues, if the federal government was seen as following the US line? I would wager that it would.

I agree, seriousjim.... Corporations thrive on war.
Eisenhower warned all of us in the '50s (a courageous speech at the time) of America's industrial military complex.

But now there is a theory in a book called "The World is Flat" (or something to that effect), which suggests that trade corridors between big trading partners actually prevent wars. Wars interrupt trade because of increasingly interlaced economies between nations....i.e. skirmishes between Pakistan and India.

However we won't even benefit from this evolution if corporations continue to pollute.

So called "free trade" in itself is a form of war against human rights, democracy and peaceful life, coexistence and healthy growth . The purpose of the so called "competitive market economy" is permanent war for bare survival, with everybody as the "enemy", so that a self appointed arictocracy can exploit the benefits by turning humanity into pigs fighting each other at the trough.

The sole purpose of GM seeds is the control of the world's food supply by a few corporations, like Cargill, Monsanto, Nestle et al. Do people know that Nestle operates under 800 different names, for example. This is war against humanity, fought with propaganda and ultimately with weapons in many parts.

When will people realize the simple fact that wealth can not be created, only taken and that PROFITS ARE A FROM OF TAXATION. Yes, as a self employed businessman in BC since 1957, I know that profits are necessary for the survival of businesses, but this doesn't mean unlimited exploitation, amounting to theft. A market
economy, GM seeds included, is the legalization of theft.

People are brainwashed to complain against government taxation, which in a democratic society is supposed to bring services and benefits, but nobody dares to question the multimillion yearly incomes, luxury yachts, jet planes and castles paid for by overcharging people for their oil, groceries and services. We're supposed to admire and glorify thieves. If this isn't a form of war, what is it? Ed Deak, Big Lake.

Mel, you are right to a point, but the Waffle tried it and went nowhere, Mulroney (no, he isn't a traitor: he was always US Steel's boy, and he did what his masters wanted him to. In US politics, an honest man is someone who once bought stays bought... welcome to the Banana republic of the north) gave us Nafta, and the organizations promoting Canada as an independent country are marginalized, while our Quislings (I include Campbell and Harper in this) are only too eager to sell us down the river.

Apart from voting, I think that the only thing we can do is vote with our pocketbooks. Since the chink in the American armour is their economy, and the linchpin of the economy is the US dollar, this means selling the dollar and all dollar denominated or dollar supporting investments, which means buying the anti dollar; i.e. precious metals.

For those of you who haven't done this, we appear to have just passed a bottom in metals and share prices, so there is relatively little risk involved. I am only a private investor, but would be happy to give what little advice I can, and can be contacted at the above name @yahoo.com...

Whatever you do, for Pete's sake, don't hold mortgage backed securities. There be dragons....

Rodric, I have to agree with you. Thanks for your insight.

"But now there is a theory in a book called "The World is Flat" (or something to that effect), which suggests that trade corridors between big trading partners actually prevent wars. Wars interrupt trade because of increasingly interlaced economies between nations....i.e. skirmishes between Pakistan and India."

That's by Tom Friedman - in the same vein, he has in the past proposed a "McDonald's Theory".. that no two countries which have a McDonald's restaurant (more importantly, that are developed enough to *attract* mcdonalds) have gone to war with one another. This was true for a long time at any rate, until NATO involved itself in Yugoslavia.. and even then, Friedman argues that the Serbs chose their McDonalds over maintaining Milosevic's war against the Kosovars.

"The Lexus and The Olive Tree" is another one by Friedman, I think it's a pretty good explanation of globalization as an unstoppable trend in the world today.

I would suggest that anyone who wishes to get a better picture of the sinister role that the World Bank and IMF have been playing in Africa should read the transcripts of the Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs--March 22, 2005, Issue 10 regarding Africa, and Issue 9 of March 8, 2005, regarding Africa. It is the most chilling account I have ever read of the way the World Bank has taken over many African governments and forced them into policies that are impoverishing and starving their own people. Both issues are available on the InterPares website. The March 8 meeting has three African agriculture experts as witnesses and is a rare and fascinating look at the devestating effect the World Bank and the IMF have had on Africa--basically loan-sharking, big time. It's quite obvious that several of our Canadian senators were shocked and disgusted, and even more apparent on the CPAC version that I watched a few days ago. At one point Chairman, Senator Stollery, quite moved by the African witnesses says: "I will remind members because some may have forgotten we had the World Bank before us when we were involved in our NAFTA study, and it was not an impresive meeting. They were telling us things that turned out not to be accurate." Among the revelations is that the World bank has forced GMOs on Africa, whether they want them or not, and that Africa has actually been a net donor to rich nations in spite of the perception by almost all Canadians and Americans--thanks to toady journalism--that the opposite is true. (Few Canadians understand that our foreign aid is, except in emergency situations, actually little less than the subsidizing of Canadian exports.) This is a rare opportunity. I hope people will read these transcripts.

Well Rodric, I've taken another look at my suggestion that the Canadian government's barring of Egziabher is a scary indication of who they fear the most--World Bank--IMF--WTO, or the Bush administration. And after studying all these transcrips regarding trade with Africa, I'm starting to think that maybe Wolfowitz appointed himself.

Thanks Truman for the very informative comment. I will read those transcripts. It is so true that if the "toady journalism" you refer to would just stop "toadying", oh what cleverly hidden and disguised truths would have a chance to be revealed...

Thank's lynn. Here's a quotation from Molly Kane, Co-Chair of the Africa-Canada Forum, and a witness at the hearings. "You may also remember last week's presentations some of the context in which these negotiations are taking place. Part of that context is that the NET TRANSFER OF RESOURCES, WHEN YOU COMBINE AID, TERMS OF TRADE, DEBT SERVICING AND CAPITAL FLIGHTS IS ACTUALLY FROM AFRICA TO INDUSTRIALIZED COUNRIES. AFRICA IS SUBSIDIZING US WHEN YOU LO0OK AT THE ENTIRE ECONOMIC PICTURE. The world trading regime is hostile to African developement. It is not just a question of markets but also a question of allowing African industry to develope....the consequences of this support to agriculture--subsidies in the North--and what it does to food production in Africa is that hunger kills moe than all infectious diseases put together in Africa. Subsidized imports flood poor countries, thanks to IMF and World Bank conditions that roll back tariffs and the WTO rules that prohibit using them. For example, Ghana is a very fertile country, that would not have problems in food production. Chicken and tomatoes are imported there because they ae so heavily subsidized, and Ghana is prohibited from having tariffs to protect its own production because of its debt-restructuring conditions. Therefore, even local producers of chicken and tomatoes cannot compete with the European producers." And from witness, Ibrahima Coulibaly, Manager of External Affairs, Mali: "The World bank has clearly forbidden OUR countries to provide subsidies since the 1990's. We cannot support agriculture. At the same time, liberal policies and the opening of our markets to food imports has been imposed on us. We are therefore competing with imported food products that are, in fact, the FOOD SURPLUSES FROM DEVELOPED NATIONS." From the Zambian witness: "The same is true in Zambia. Until 1990, we had a grain marketing board, but we had to dissolve it when we implemented the structural adjustment program of the IMF and World Bank. They also insisted that the government give no assistance in agriculture, that agriculture would be left to market prices."

Truman, I did read the transcripts and it is astounding isn't it... a real eye-opener... Africa must feel with friends like these who needs enemies...it is just deeply disturbing...I hope this story finds its way past the "toadying" journalism and reveals the truly disgraceful international deceit they are helping to cover up.... thanks again.

Thanks again, Murray Dobbin. Your article throws a rare ray of light on the mostly hidden story of the West's ongoing exploitation of Africa, which hasn't changed much since Joseph Conrad wrote "Heart of Darkness" about Leopold II's crimes in the Belgium Congo (historians estimate between 8 and 10 million slaughtered)--until the CIA's murder of Patrice Lumumba in 1965, and subsequent support of Mobutu, probably the greatest thief in the history of the world. Just as Kabila's forces were preparing to sweep into Kinshaha (1997) the Vancouver Sun ran this article: "U.S. officials say Mobutu is balking at leaving Zaire because he wants assurances he can keep the fortune he amassed during three decades of dictatorial rule. The question of Mobutu's riches is sensitive for the U.S. because it secretly carried him on the CIA payroll in exchange for co-operation during the Cold War." All the time the U.S. was helping Mobutu to steal the entire wealth of the nation and to destroy the infrasfructure, the so-called "Peace Corp" was roaming the place providing adventures and cruises for its members. For the best word on Mobutu read, "When We Were King's" by Heidi Kriz.

lani, you might click on Murray Dobbin's article, "Sterile Seeds, Canada's Impotence," listed above in this article. Lewis is big at whining about how the West is ignoring Africa, but what he doesn't mention is that the West CAUSED the tragedy in Africa, which is what has to be known before the massive revitalization programs that are needed--a new Marshal Plan, for instance--will ever be started. Western democracies are never going to do anything which affects their own bottom lines until there is a world movement to hold them responsible for their crimes, from Leopold 2 to supporting criminals like Sese Seko Mobutu. Africa doesn't need charity, it needs reparations. If the Tyee site manager will allow from pre-Asper Vancouver Sun: (l997) "Decades of embezzling by Zaire's ruling elite allowed President Mobutu Sese Seko to accumulate a personal fortune that peaked at $4 billion US in the mid-l980's, The Financial Times newspaaper said yesterday. The newspaper said the estimates of his fortune were made by officials from the U.S. treasury and International Monetary Fund. It said western governments and financial institutions provided aid to Mobutu despite clear evidence that the country's wealth was being systematically stolen." I also clipped the following article: "U.SA. officials say Mobutu is balking at leaving Zaire because he wants assurances he can keep the fortune he amassed during three decades of dictatorial rule. The question of Mobutu's riches is sensitive for the U.S. because it secretly carried him on the CIA payroll in exchange for co-operation during the Cold War." I continue to rant and rave about Mobutu because I believe his infrastructure-destroying reign--and America, Belgium and Britain's aid in the murder of one of Africa's only real democrats's, Patrice Lumumba--is an exact analogue for the West's disgusting behaviour on the African continent. (not to mention the uranium-gold-diamonds capitalists) Another part of the story is how the West has conspired to keep African products off the world markets and used foreign aid as an excuse to dump surpluses in Africa and ruin any chance of African farmers to compete on the world market. lani, I hope you read Dobbin's article and my comments after it. lani, I'd also suggest that Stephen Lewis could better appreciate your adoration if you supplied your real identity, as I believe any dignified person would. Maybe you could meet him on his new book tour and get an autograph. Okey, I admit, now I'm being an idiot.