News

The United Nations have called Canada’s pullout from the UN drought convention regrettable.

In a report by CBC News, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada is withdrawing from the convention because the program has been too bureaucratic. 

He says less than one-fifth of the 350 thousand dollars Canada puts into the convention goes to programming.

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The minority Parti Quebécois government has announced an upcoming study on uranium.

Environment Minister, Yves-François Blanchet told the Gazette on Thursday that the study, which will study the impact on the development of uranium in the province, is set to begin next fall.

There will not be a green light issued for the exploration or development of uranium in Québec until the study is completed.

Quebec Premier Pauline Marois is defending a Montreal bylaw that demands protesters give an itinerary at the beginning of a protest.

The Montreal Gazette reports Marois and her ministers do not consider bylaw P-6 to be unreasonable.

After the election, the Parti Québecois removed punitive sections of Bill 78 that limited the number of demonstrators, where they could gather, and giving 8 hours notice.

According to access to information requests made by Radio-Canada, over 180 health care sites contain asbestos.

The carcinogenic fiber used as a fire- retardant is being found in buildings such as hospitals, clinics and long-term care homes.

Provincial authorities are working to create a registry, but say it won’t be completed for another two years. During that time, they will have to determine asbestos levels in buildings and report them.

Student associations and university labour unions can learn a lot from each other.

The Link reports that while labour unions can benefit from the tactics used in the student movement, student associations can equally gain from the history of labour movements.

Spokesperson for the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante Jérémie Bédard-Wien says fostering solidarity between students and workers is extremely important.

Students who work and educational workers face unpredictability and a lack of job security in the workforce, and can benefit from supporting each other.

By: -AX-

Workers at the N.D.G. food depot have until the end of the week to vacant the building that has been serving food to families in need for more than 20 years.

According to the Gazette, though the lease ended on March 31^st, the owners agreed to let the staff stay until June in order to have more time to find a new home. 

A first-year McGill medical resident at St. Mary’s Hospital claims he is being punished by the McGill faculty of Medicine for standing up for patients.

According to the McGill Daily, Dr. Alexander Nataros received a dying patient last November after senior doctors made what he said were “significant life-threatening medical errors.”

Nataros says that by correcting and reporting the errors allegedly made by senior physicians, he was able to save the patient’s life.

The long journey from Whapmagoostui James Bay Quebec to Parliament Hill in Ottawa from the Idle No More Movement has ended.

According to CBC News the journey which was meant to bring attention to aboriginal issues started out as a snowshoe walk in January.

What started out as a small group of seven aboriginal people of Cree descent expanded to nearly 400 people within the movement.

One of the original seven within the group stated that the journey was therapeutic because it helped him and others deal with personal issues.

This aboriginal group which struggles to protect their land continues to inspire others and currently has a facebook group of over 32,700 members.

A government spokesman said Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades faces a tough task to save the island’s economy.

The president was in Brussels discussing a crucial bailout with the European Union and the European Central Bank on Sunday.

According to AL-Jazeera News, Cyprus needs a 10-billion euro bailout to keep the government and the banks intact, but they have to raise 5.8 billion euros just to qualify for that package.

Montreal police are cracking down heavily on the student movement.

In a report by the Canadian University Press, SPVM officers who dealt with the protests stemming from tuition increases by the Liberal party last spring, put an end to the latest march on March 22nd in ten minutes.

Students are on the streets once again, to denounce the tuition increase of 70 dollars a year over the next five years put in place by the Parti Quebecois during the summit on higher education last month.