Miners, politicians, pundits and activists have all weighed in on the wisdom of letting China buy Noranda Inc. But only Malcolm Scott can speak from experience.

Nearly 15 years ago, Mr. Scott left Noranda and moved to Florida to become president of [ . . . US Agri-Chemicals Corp.] a phosphate mining company the Chinese had taken over in 1989.

At the time, state-owned Sinochem Corp.'s purchase of US Agri-Chemicals Corp. was the Communist government's largest foreign acquisition. The terms weren't disclosed, but today the company is the third-largest phosphate exporter in the United States.

[. . . . ] After buying Agri-Chem, China imported most of the company's phosphate production. However that soon changed.

"China is like Wal-Mart in that they're such a huge buyer they can negotiate the best terms on the open market," says Mr. Scott. "They found it was better to let the company sell to Australia, India and Pakistan and get the best return."

In fact Mr. Scott . . . gives "full marks" to the Chinese for letting Agri-Chem operate as a profit-motivated business.

[. . . . ] In 1979, the China International Trust and Investment Corp. (CITIC) bought large swaths of timber rights in the U.S. northwest. Other U.S. deals followed, including investments in petroleum and steel. For instance, in 1988, CITIC bought a steel mill in Claymont, Del.

[. . . . ] "I really believe if they'd come up short they would have taken all our production. Woudn't you?" asks Mr. Scott. "I don't see them backing away from taking what they can and leaving the rest of the world to come up short."

[. . . . ] Not since the 1970s when the Trudeau Liberals were faced with U.S. companies buying up huge swaths of Canada's oilpatch, has there been as much debate over whether to protect Canadian resources.

In 1973 the threat of foreign takeovers was enough to prompt the Liberal minority government to create the Foreign Investment Review Agency. [FIRA] For a decade it put limits on foreign investments and raised the ire of American politicians and businesses that wanted to invest in Canada.

Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative government closed the agency in 1984, but to listen to some opponents of China's interest in Canada's resource sector today, such drastic measures are needed again.

Will Paul Martin follow in Trudeau's footsteps and slap limits on Chinese investment in Canada? The debate is already percolating within senior ranks of government.

Senior federal civil servants such as Garry Nash, assistant deputy minister at Natural Resources Canada, argue World Trade Organization rules prevent Canada from treating China differently from any other trading partner. The WTO rules, "hang over everything we do,"Mr. Nash says.

However, some trade experts think there is nothing stopping Canada from blocking the Noranda takeover.

"Unlike France and Germany, Canada doesn't have a bilateral treaty with China," says Toronto trade lawyer Barry Appleton, whose clients include Canadian investors in China. "We could refuse the takeover and not break specific rules."

That's the issue before Industry Minister David Emerson, who can stop the Noranda deal from moving forward. If Mr. Emerson decides the deal is not beneficial to Canada, he can halt the takeover, although it appears as if the goverment is in favour of the Minmetals proposal. [. . . . ]

[. . . . ] So here come those who are not afraid to get their feet wet: entrepreneurial farmers, aspiring private enterprises, and some state-owned companies like Minmetals, the Chinese mineral giant who made headlines last month by bidding for the Noranda Inc. of Canada -- with cash in hand.

The last group, however, differ in two important ways. First, they have the life jackets from the government and fat wallets from years of preferential policies, which enable them to take bigger steps (and make bigger splashes for that matter). Second, they have the least idea what the other side of the river looks like. As a result, bigger steps may also mean further deviations from the track.

Before 1983. . . under the direct supervision of the central government [. . . . ] When China began the market-oriented reform in the early 1980s, Minmetals quickly diversified its business into a wide range of areas. In 1984, it formed a joint venture with foreign investors and built the five-star Shangri-la Hotel in Beijing. With relatively easy access to capital, the company made big strides in international shipping, leasing, tendering, advertising, real estate, and information services. AXA-Minmetals Assurance Co. Ltd., the joint venture between Minmetals and the AXA Group in France, was established in Shanghai in 1999 and branched to Guangzhou in 2003. The five wholly owned or partly owned futures companies of Minmetals ranks second in the country and first in metals futures.

. . . business diversification . . . . expansion overseas. Since the late 1970s, Minmetals has set up 50 overseas companies in the major countries and regions such as Japan, U.S., Brazil, Australia, U.K., Germany, Russia, Singapore and South Africa, with total investment of over US$1-billion. Two holding companies, China Minmetals HK (Holding) Ltd. and China Minerals South America (Holding) Ltd., were set up in 1996 and 1999, respectively, to coordinate the businesses in the two key regions.

. . . external financing [. . . . ] So far, Minmetals has held controlling or shared interests in 14 listed companies in China. Besides the domestic market, Minmetals is also actively seeking financing overseas. Minmetals issued US$100-million commercial papers in the U.S. for the first time in 1996. Since then, it has secured another US$500-million from international banking syndicates. Another bold step was taken in October, 2003, when Minmetals acquired two Red Chip companies listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange: Oriental Metals, a metal trading company, and ONFEM Holdings, an investment holding company.

With US$11.68-billion revenue in 2003 and 168 subsidiaries worldwide, Minmetals . . . changes. . . . Expecting global competition after China's accession to WTO, the government is launching an all-out effort to make the state companies stronger.

[. . . . ] In 1991, Minmetals was one of the first 57 "Experimental Group Enterprises" in the country. . . . Last year, Minmetals became one of the "key" state companies under direct supervision of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), the newly established organization for the purpose of separating government administration from enterprise management.

[. . . . ] Minmetals has the only licence to import stainless steels. . . . the licences are gradually flying to foreign-invested enterprises and eligible domestic firms. As a result, the monopoly power enjoyed by companies such as Minmetals is quickly dissipating.

[. . . . ] Between 2001 and 2002 . . . . Minmetals quickly invested in Xiamen Tungsten, which has the largest tungsten production facilities in the world. Xiangxi Tungsten Group Co. Ltd., the largest tungsten company in China, was set up late last year with China Minmetals Nonferrous Metals Co. Ltd. holding 51% of the shares.

[. . . ] Guangxi Province. . . Minmetals purchased a 51% stake in Texas-based Sherwin Alumina, the second largest alumina refinery in North America. It is also Corporate China's first acquisition of a firm listed on a U.S. stock exchange, although the management remains with the original owner BPU Reynolds.

The same story is happening in many other fields. It is reported that Minmetals is currently engaged in eight to nine M&A negotiations, involving nearly US$10-billion. . . . a mega-merger between Minmetals and Hanxing Metallurgical Mining Management Bureau, another large enterprise under SASAC with 13,000 employees. [. . . . ]

Are we nuts? Are the people who run the show here in Canada just plain idiots? I couldn't read the rest of the paper after I read the story "7 who sparked Pearson scramble freed" (Oct. 19). Seven men from Sri Lanka board a flight to Toronto with fake passports with French names. . . . Then they let them go after promising to appear a refugee hearing in a month. [. . . . ]

[. . . ] (To quote our previous Liberal PM, "it's the normal operation")

A high-level task force is being assembled to help Canada steel its defences against cyber-attacks by terrorists.

The head of Canada's electronic spy agency said the panel of private-and-public sector officials will help the country catch up to the United States in securing cyberspace.

Communications Security Establishment chief Keith Coulter noted Washington has already begun moving to protect their own key grids and networks.

[. . . .] Elements of Canada's critical infrastructure - including power grids, hospitals, banks, and other businesses - rely on digital networks to conduct their affairs, he said.

Shoring up those systems cannot be accomplished by the federal government alone, he added.

The national task force, now being planned by the Public Safety Department, will be extablished in the coming months. [. . . .]

No wonder one of the first things the Americans did after today's attacks in New York and Washington was to seal the Canadian border. We are a suspect haven for terrorist plotters.

This was a cry that sounded during the past few years in this country about the ease with which world terrorists and their supporters come into Canada, claiming to be legitimate immigrants or refugees.

However, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and previous governments have made little effort during that time to tighten our sieve-like immigration-refugee system.

As I wrote in a column in the 1980s, when a shipload of Tamils from Sri Lanka landed on the coast of Newfoundland and were allowed to stay:

"Welcome to Canada, sucker nation of the world."

Since then, of course, there has been a buildup of . . . .

Canada's immigration system was attacked yesterday from both sides of the border following the recent arrest of [Ahmed Ressam] an Algerian caught trying to enter the United States with powerful explosives. But Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister, defended the federal government's policies.

Speaking to reporters after a day-long cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Mr. Chrétien said he is concerned about terrorism but has confidence in the national security system and the country's "adequate system" to counter terrorism.

"When you are receiving 250,000 [immigrants] a year, there might be some people who come that don't have the best intention in the world," Mr. Chrétien said, noting that Canada and the United States share the largest unprotected border in the world.

[. . . . ] Critics blame Canada's generous immigration policies for turning the country into a haven for terrorist organizations,
enabling them to fund overseas conflicts and plan attacks on the U.S.

[. . . ] "We have twice arrested individuals who entered the U.S. from Canada with the apparent intent to commit acts of terrorism," said Mr. [Lamar] Smith, a Texas Republican and frequent critic of Canada's border control and immigration policies.

He was referring to the 1998 case of Gazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer who was convicted of an attempt to blow up the New York City subway. "How many near misses can we tolerate?" he said, urging Ottawa to work closely with his committee to stop terrorist infiltration.

Police and intelligence agencies have warned Ottawa for years that terrorists were taking advantage of the immigration system to slip into the country. Ward Elcock, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service director, says almost every global terrorist group is active in Canada.

[. . . . ]Terrorists in Canada have play-ed [sic] a role in the World Trade Center bombing, suicide bombings in Israel, assassinations in India, the murder of tourists in Egypt, the Al Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia and the bombing campaign of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, CSIS says.

For six years since we have been in Ottawa ... bringing this up again and again and again to government," said Mr. Benoit. "National security should be the number one concern of government when dealing with our refugee system and our immigration system ... They have ignored that. They seem to want to be viewed as being compassionate and kind. Well I think compassion and kindness should extend to Canadian citizens and I think that's been forgotten."

Reform wants those who arrive in Canada illegally seeking refugee status to be detained. It also wants the refugee system speeded up and has suggested electronic monitoring for refugee claimants who arrive illicitly. Mr. Benoit fears that if Canada continues to harbour terrorists the U.S. may impose damaging trade sanctions.

[Leon Benoit, the Reform party's immigration critic -- When the Progressive Conservative Party split, Reform was one of the parties formed; the PC's were the other. Reformers joined others to form the Canadian Alliance which, in turn, merged with the Progressives to become the Conservative Party of Canada, within the last year.]

[. . . . ] Canada has varied and large ethnic communities, allowing terrorists to hide and giving them a pool from which to recruit and raise funds.

"Canada is a fantastic place to live but there are people who come here because they know they can circumvent the rules," said Alan Bell, president of Globe Risk Holdings and a former member of the SAS, the elite British special force.

"They know they won't get probed or investigated or harassed by intelligence services. In the U.S. they'd be all over terrorists like a cheap suit. Here we have a judicial process that prevents us from deporting people without due process, that due process is where they disappear underground and you can't find them."

The exploitation of Canada is not new. [. . . . ]

BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- China showed off its first new generation of reactor on Beijing's northern outskirts Thursday in an effort to demonstrate not only its safety and reliability but its progress in overcoming its chronic energy shortage.

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, designed at prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, was on display at a location near the Great Wall, roughly 40 km north of downtown Beijing.

More than 60 atomic energy experts from over 30 countries watched the safety operation, in which the reactor successfully cooled down after the control stick was pulled out. The operation had been demonstrated before.

Scientists have said the major safety issue regarding nuclear reactors lies in how to cool them efficiently, as they continue produce heat even after shutdown.

Gas-cooled reactors are now widely considered the most secure. They don't need additional safety systems, as do water cooled reactor, and they discharge surplus heat, which could damage elements of the device.

"It will not cause a catastrophe such as the one at Chernobyl in the Ukraine at any time," said Qian Jihui, former deputy chief of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a noted atomic scientist with an international reputation.

IAEA official Byung-Koo Kim said that the operation of the reactor was "rather impressive."

Owing to technological improvement, Kim acknowledged, gas-cooled reactors will be introduced extensively for business purposes in the coming decades, and international cooperation will also be greatly reinforced.

China is the fifth nation in the world to master the technology-- the others being the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan -- and remains in the lead in the peaceful application of nuclear energy, said Qian. [. . . . ]

[. . . . ] From our e-mail conversations with Mr. Corcoran, he has stated that his whole point is not to let a foreign-government-controlled company acquire a Canadian corporation, no matter which foreign government that may be.

If the issue of ownership by a foreign government was his only point, then why did he colour his column with hyperbolic language labelling the government of China as "essentially fascist" and making a sloppy and false analogy between the rise of Hitler and German industry in the 1930's and the question of Noranda's possible sale to China MinMetals?

Let's use an example from the column to discuss why the comments are biased. From a photo of Chinese army officers beside the column and Mr. Corcoran's comments, readers might assume that China is a heavily militarized country like North Korea. In fact, the size of the Chinese army as a percentage of China's population is not meaningfully larger than the Canadian army's size. And China is still reducing the size of its army in order to allocate more state revenue to infrastructure projects. [. . . . ]

[. . . . ] Late last year, China announced plans to build 30 new reactors - enough to generate twice the capacity of the gargantuan Three Gorges Dam - by 2020. And even that won't be enough. The Future of Nuclear Power, a 2003 study by a blue-ribbon commission headed by former CIA director John Deutch, concludes that by 2050 the PRC could require the equivalent of 200 full-scale nuke plants. A team of Chinese scientists advising the Beijing leadership puts the figure even higher: 300 gigawatts of nuclear output, not much less than the 350 gigawatts produced worldwide today.

To meet that growing demand, China's leaders are pursuing two strategies. They're turning to established nuke plant makers like AECL, Framatome, Mitsubishi, and Westinghouse, which supplied key technology for China's nine existing atomic power facilities. But they're also pursuing a second, more audacious course. Physicists and engineers at Beijing's Tsinghua University have made the first great leap forward in a quarter century, building a new nuclear power facility that promises to be a better way to harness the atom: a pebble-bed reactor. A reactor small enough to be assembled from mass-produced parts and cheap enough for customers without billion-dollar bank accounts. A reactor whose safety is a matter of physics, not operator skill or reinforced concrete. And, for a bona fide fairy-tale ending, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is labeled hydrogen.

A soft-spoken scientist named Qian Jihui has no doubt about what the smaller, safer, hydrogen-friendly design means for the future of nuclear power, in China and elsewhere. Qian is a former deputy director general with the International Atomic Energy Agency and an honorary president of the Nuclear Power Institute of China. He's a 67-year-old survivor of more than one revolution, which means he doesn't take the notion of upheaval lightly. [. . . . ]

SUMMARY: Minmetals' proposal contemplates that the transaction would be completed by way of a plan of arrangement and voted on by all Noranda common shareholders.

OTTAWA (CP) - MPs should have a say in the federal government's review of the proposed sale of mining giant Noranda Inc. to a Chinese firm, says the NDP.

The party called on the minority Liberal government Tuesday to carefully review the proposed deal in the context of China's shabby human rights record, as well as the possible impact on Canadian workers.

"(New Democrat MPs) have each heard directly from constituents and Canadians who have grave concerns about the sale of Noranda to China's Minmetals," said Brian Masse, the NDP industry critic.

"A litany of questions must be addressed before the government proceeds with the approval of this foreign acquisition." [. . . . ]

No foreign governments, especially totalitarian states like China, should be allowed to purchase Canadian corporations.

A company owned by China's totalitarian government has entered into talks to buy Canadian mining giant, Noranda Inc. The potential purchase is troubling for two reasons: China's failure to promote human rights and democracy and a seven-year-old intelligence report warning of China's state-sanctioned program of economic expansionism.

The report . . . was prepared by the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in May 1997. It warned, in stark terms, that the Chinese government was attempting to gain a foothold in Canada by purchasing legitimate businesses and then using those businesses to exert influence and obtain secret technology.

It warned further that Beijing was gaining "direct or indirect influence over the Canadian economy and politics"and had learned its influence could be enhanced and solidified by financing Canada's political parties.

The initial Sidewinder draft report was watered down in a subsequent version but the questions it posits deserve to be revisited in light of the potential $7-billion sale of Noranda to Minmetals Corp., a Beijing-based company owned by China's Communist government. [. . . . ]

The fact that it is China -- and not the United States or Switzerland -- that controls Minmetals makes the potential sale even more troubling. China is a totalitarian state and not a free and open democracy. It has an abysmal human rights record and its occupation of Tibet and oppression of Taiwan have sparked international condemnation. The sale of Noranda to China is thus questionable on moral grounds.

[. . . . ] No foreign governments, especially totalitarian states like China, should be allowed to purchase Canadian corporations.

[. . . . ] I can no longer participate in a military process which I view as entirely too politicized.

The HMCS Chicoutimi crisis and the federal government's focus on self-preserving "spin" have caused me to say "no more!"

The non-stop messaging from Ottawa has been that the four used British submarines were safe and the best buy.

Best buy? They were not! They were the cheapest buy for a maritime nation which never should have allowed its coastal defence forces to become compromised and under-equipped.

Safe? A cursory review of the submarines' many failures should challenge that assertion quite easily. I have seen one of these submarines in dry-dock in Halifax harbour with a plastic cover over a hole in the hull one could, I suspect, drive a car through.

Expert military opinion was that had the fire lasted but a few minutes longer, HMCS Chicoutimi and all aboard would have been lost. As it was, Lt. Chris Saunders lost his life. His seven-week-old infant son lost a father!

The position of honourary Lt. Colonel is a century-old tradition and is not to be taken lightly. Vetting involves a nomination process, and the defence minister makes the appointment on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Staff.

[. . . . ] PITTANCE PENSIONS

World War II veterans and their surviving spouses [. . . . ]

Merchant Marine veterans [. . . . ]

Meanwhile the PM, cabinet and Governor General travel on a pair of Challenger jets purchased for $100 million without government tender.

Talk about a spending scandal!

[. . . . ] But now I have chosen to resign this honoured position because while I believe it to be a position of leadership within the Canadian political and military apparatus, I also believe a commitment to leadership is required at the top.

Recent days involving HMCS Chicoutimi have led me to believe what is present at the top is neglect, not leadership and if there is any commitment, it is to self-preservation.
--
Bill Donaldson
President
Nepean-Carleton EDA
692-4994

[. . . . ] Kamal Elbahja of suburban Maple Ridge.

He was reportedly travelling with Rudwan Khalil Abubaker of Vancouver, whom Russian authorities said last Friday was killed in strife-torn Chechnya.

Russian officials said the man they identified as Rudwan Khalil was killed along with three gunmen by special forces in a mountainous region of the southern republic, where Muslim separatists are engaged in a bloody conflict with the Russian military.

A Russian television report included video of a Canadian passport and B.C. driver's licence in the name of Rudwan Khalil.

Foreign Affairs had no explanation for the discrepancy in the names.

[. . . . ] Dubai. . . holiday. . . Saudi Arabian capital of Jidda. . . . to Azerbaijan, which borders on Chechnya, to attend the wedding of friend Azar Tagiev.

[. . . . ] Abubaker, 26, was born in Kassala, near Sudan's border with Eritrea. The family fled there from Eritrea during that country's war to break away from Ethiopia.

[. . . . ] Abubaker's family worshiped [sic] at Vancouver-area mosques [. . . .]

Americans should not feel too secure with the U.S. government's anti-terror policies because the targeted ones aren't necessarily the terrorists.

[. . . . ] If you are unfortunate enough to have one of those names similar to the few terrorist names that are actually on the no-fly list, then your travel plans become a nightmare [. . . . The] actual terrorists change their names, use false ID, and walk past you and your tormentors to board the plane.

The government has chosen to target you rather than focus on the bad guys, because using effective police methods isn't politically correct. Some pressure group might get upset. . . . [We] live in a world of the absurd.

For example, The Wall Street Journal reports that the federal Department of Transportation actually fines airlines who search more than two Arab travelers per flight. That would be profiling and profiling is wrong, says the policy. Yet every single one of the 9-11 hijackers was a male of Middle Eastern descent. Any good police detective knows that to catch a criminal you first must look at those who match the description. Airlines are not allowed to do that. The strict politically correct policy is to ignore the facts and randomly select by computer a certain few passengers to be searched each flight. That way it's all fair! [. . . . ]

[. . . . ] nearly 500 access to information requests. [. . . Members] would be shocked to see how much of it was whited out. In this last case it has been blacked out. There are huge black sections where information has been hidden from me and by extension all Canadians because the government is covering up some of the serious problems that exist behind the scenes.
(1210)

[. . . . One key problem is] the reporting that the whistleblower does goes first of all to the people above him or her and to the minister. It does not encourage disclosure to some independent commissioner. That has to be foundational in any legislation for it to work.

The way the bill is set up now it would have the exact opposite effect. It would allow the minister or senior bureaucrats to put the thumbs on these people and deal with them in a way behind the scenes that we will not even know about. In fact, I believe this would have the opposite effect, which I will explain more in a minute.

[. . . . ] I believe . . . the government is . . . . pulling the wool over the eyes of the public by giving the bill a name, such as whistleblower legislation or public servants disclosure protection act.

. . . We . . . would reward them rather than punish them. . . .

In the bill's present form it should not be called the public servants disclosure protection act. It should be the public servants disclosure prosecution act. The way it is structured it would allow the people in positions of authority to actually put down potential people who would like to come forward.

[. . . . ] In conclusion, I would like to say that the bill should include all public servants. The government should not be able to cherry-pick who it applies to. It should include the RCMP and crown corporations.

The key thing that has to happen, which the Conservatives have supported, is that we must create a truly independent body to receive and investigate the disclosures of wrongdoing by all public servants, either publicly or through formal channels. . . .
(1215)

Mr. John Williams (Edmonton—St. Albert, CPC):[. . . . ] Unfortunately,we only have three hours of debate before it is hived off to committee.

[. . . . ] The public accounts committee in its second report this past spring said:

That a mediation process involving the Public Service Commission and the Public Service Integrity Officer be established to resolve matters relating to federal employees past or present who have allegedly suffered monetary loss or career damage as a consequence of having reported instances of wrongdoing with regard to the Sponsorship Program; and that the instances that have been judged to have merit be reported to the House,

[. . . . ] the issue of Mr. Cutler who would not be covered by this legislation [. . . . ] Mr. Cutler's career has come to a crashing end and he has not been dealt with at this point in time. That issue needs to be resolved if the government is to have any integrity on this matter.

[. . . . ] clause 5. . . Treasury Board will establish a code of conduct for the government. Then it goes on to say that each deputy minister can have his or her own code of conduct. If a person is transferred from department A to department B, all of a sudden that person is working under a different code of conduct. We would have thought that it would not have been a big thing for the Government of Canada to say that integrity is integrity in this department and that department and indeed every department. [. . . . ]
(1135)

OTTAWA - The Prime Minister's national security advisor told a major security and intelligence conference yesterday it would be "absurd" to believe terrorists will not attack Canada.

"Osama bin Laden has publicly identified Canada as a country he believes his followers should attack," Robert Wright said. "He ranked Canada as fifth out of seven countries and every other country on that list has already been attacked.

[. . . ] Bali and Madrid bombings are examples," he said.. . . . Air-India and Ressam cases [. . . . ]

Mr. Wright made his comments at the opening of the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Security and Intelligence Studies, which brings together academics, government officials and security professionals.

Unlike their allies in the United States and United Kingdom, officials in Ottawa have traditionally been reluctant to discuss the terrorist threat to Canada, but Mr. Wright's speech comes at a time of unprecedented fears that terrorists may be preparing to strike.

Bin Laden named Canada as a target in November, 2002, and an al-Qaeda manual posted on the Internet in March called for attacks on Canadians.

Documents uncovered from Afghanistan show al-Qaeda ordered an operative to study possible targets in Canada, primarily Israeli and Jewish community buildings.

Last year, police in Pakistan found a list of potential targets in Ontario, including Toronto's Union Station, in the pocket of a senior al-Qaeda member. Recently, Canadian police have been investigating incidents they fear might be examples of terrorist scouting.

[. . . . ] Ottawa has made it illegal to raise money for terrorism, but no charges have been laid and several groups known to raise large amounts of cash in Canada -- such as the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka -- have not been outlawed by the Cabinet.

Canadian officials estimate tens of millions in suspected terrorist financing takes place in Canada annually. The response to terrorist financing, both in Canada and abroad, has been modest, the Carleton University professor said.

[. . . . ] Intelligence historian Wesley Wark, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, also raised concerns about the lack of government transparency on security and intelligence matters. He cited the example of a research project he had launched, only to find that, after almost four months, the government had still not disclosed any of the documents he was seeking.

Could we make a guess, based on past actions, that the Liberal government past and present has so much to hide that almost anything can and must be hidden? [. . . . ]

THE RCMP and Canada Customs are probing whether terrorists are behind three attempts to smuggle heroin into Toronto from Afghanistan. Authorities are trying to determine if al-Qaida or Taliban supporters are smuggling the dope through Pearson airport for sale here to raise cash for use against the U.S. and its elections in two weeks.

The police concerns stem from three seizures in the last two weeks of 28.5 kilos of heroin, worth about $13.5 million. Police said they haven't seized this much heroin in years.

[. . . . ] Customs officers last Tuesday nabbed a Spanish couple for trying to smuggle 20 kilos of heroin and an Englishman with 5.5 kilos strapped to his torso and legs.

Adams said four Toronto-area men were arrested last week in the latest heroin seizure, in which 3.2 kilos of heroin was found in brass lanterns from Afghanistan that were destined to a Toronto company.

Mohammad Fida Khan, Muhammad Sanaullah Khan, Richard Savinetti and Amir Riaz are charged with importing a controlled substance, conspiracy to import a controlled substance and trafficking.

[. . . . ] Government and business fear the potential impact from tightened security on the $1.7 billion in daily trade between Canada and the U.S.
Among the measures announced today:

* Canada's participation in the U.S. Container Security Initiative . . . a foreign marine port by April 2005 to search shipping containers bound for North America.

* A pilot project at Vancouver international airport to use biometric information like fingerprints and eye scans to fast-track low-risk passengers through immigration and customs. . . . NEXUS project . . .

* A new Canada-U.S. Integrated Border Enforcement Team in the Sault Ste. Marie region. Similar groups . . . in place at 14 border regions.

* Installing so-called fast lanes to allow trucks and commercial goods to move faster . . .

* A plan to consult stakeholders such as trucking companies [. . . . ]

"Problem areas. . . roads and bridges. . . customs booths . . . the implementation of ongoing security improvements."

TWO MORE Toronto men have been arrested by Peel homicide detectives in the shooting death of Amretta Singh. A man was charged yesterday with first-degree murder and another man was charged Saturday for being an accessory after the fact in Singh's March 20 slaying.

[. . . . ] Two men were arrested last week and were charged with first-degree murder: Stenwick Hookumchand, 21, and Navaneethan Kunananthan, 24, both of Toronto.

Jeyaganesh Satkuru, 26, surrendered to police at Brampton court on Saturday and was charged with murder yesterday. He is expected to appear in court today.

Prasad Thiruchelvam, 23, was arrested
near his home Saturday and charged with being an accessory after the fact of murder.

Police believe they're dealing with a group of friends as opposed to an alleged gang.

Vijayarajah Manickavasagar, 23, also known as "Bullet" and "Vijay," is wanted on a first-degree murder warrant, and police believe he has fled the country under an assumed name or with an altered Canadian passport. [. . . . ]

SEYMOUR ARM, B.C. - There are no signs of welcome on the road to Seymour Arm. No mileage posts, not even a motel ad promising a good sleep or a cup of coffee.

[. . . . ] They found large indoor marijuana growing operations, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of growing equipment and 20,000 marijuana plants. Police also seized 50 weapons, ranging from shotguns to semi-automatic assault rifles.

Fifteen men, including a 68-year-old, were charged with cultivation of an illegal substance. One woman was charged with marijuana possession. No one offered any resistance.

Half the town's population is involved in the drug trade, police suggested. "Organized crime" is involved in the grow-ops, added Marianne Ryan, operations officer for B.C.'s Combined Special Forces Enforcement Unit, an elite group of drug busters from RCMP ranks and municipal squads.

"It wasn't your typical type of organized crime," said Ms. Ryan, an RCMP superintendent. "It works well below the traditional level of organized crime, [but] it's very sophisticated and very professional." She also spoke of "incidents of violence, threats, and intimidation."

[. . . . ] The grow-ops were not a secret. "We knew the growers by name," reveals Mr. Grant. Contrary to police reports, they caused few, if any, disturbances. "The one issue people had was the noise from their generators," he told me. "They had large generators, and they would run all night. But we didn't sit around and talk about the growers. We certainly didn't live in fear. I still left the keys in my truck."

[. . . . ] Mr. Dirks calls the area's pot growers "poor farmers just struggling to get by." He estimates that Seymour Arm produced about $3.5-million worth of marijuana each year, about a tenth of the value police placed on the community's grow-ops. He would not say how the product was shipped and sold, or to whom. Police are still investigating the retail end of the pot pipeline.

Even more alarming is the fact that police know of another 95 to 100 grow houses in that police division alone, but they cannot get to them due to a backlog caused by the complex and time-consuming probes and a shortage of manpower.

[. . . . ] Within the past five months, Toronto Police have found sophisticated indoor marijuana grow operations within a stones-throw of each other at numbers 18, 19 and 22 Queenscourt.

[. . . . ] Even more alarming is the fact that police know of another 95 to 100 grow houses in that police division alone, but they cannot get to them due to a backlog caused by the complex and time-consuming probes and a shortage of manpower.

"This house would have netted about $2 million a year . . . . they have a total disregard for the laws and the community," Pye said.

[. . . . ] Entire walls and ceilings were knocked out and the basement, main floor and upstairs bedrooms have been turned into a three-storey laboratory.

[. . . . ] Neighbours said a group of Oriental males driving SUVs were seen coming and going from the house in the past few months.

[. . . . ] Chinese characters on growing guides corroborate the sightings. [. . . . ]

"I guess we can legalize murder too and then we won't have a murder case. We can't go that way," Fantino said.

[. . . . ] He said legalizing pot would simply mean it would be grown in Canada and shipped to the U.S. and other places where it's still illegal.

His remarks came after Ontario Minister of Community Safety Monte Kwinter announced new legislation combatting the public safety hazards of grow ops across the province. The legislation includes the doubling of several Ontario Fire Code fines reaching up to $1 million for activities such as rewiring electricity around a meter for the sake of powering basement pot projects.

[. . . . ] If passed, the new law would also enshrine into law the right of local hydro companies to disconnect electricity without notice for emergency or safety reasons and require inspections of all homes confirmed to have contained a grow op.

Kwinter said homes containing intensive pot operations in their basements are 40 times more likely to spark a fire. They also contain toxic chemicals, breed mold and often harm the structure of the home. [. . . . ]

Jason Kenney . . . "Imagine taking a Challenger jet across the country at a cost of $55,000 for an 800-word speech. I think that works out to about $72 a word." . . . .

The Conservative leader [Stephen Harper] . . . . "It's time that these guys stop hiding behind the men and women they are putting in jeopardy," [the military]

[. . . . ] Meanwhile, the Conservatives have a wave of recently elected but experienced front-bench critics whose incisiveness impressed at Question Period -- Bev Oda, a former CRTC commissioner who is now heritage critic; Gordon O'Connor, who acts as defence critic; and, Rob Nicholson, minister of science in the Kim Campbell government who returned to the House in June as transport critic.

[. . . . MP Keith] Martin was grace under pressure. "The fact of the matter is, that sub was certified by the professionals in our navy. I should probably make a comment and quote Captain Luc Pelletier, the commander of the Chicoutimi, who said the following: 'Of these submarines this was the only one that was able to start sea trials.' "

The Conservative leader . . . . "It's time that these guys stop hiding behind the men and women they are putting in jeopardy," he scowled.

. . . O'Connor --a former Brigadier-General . . . "A former submarine commander ... said that sailors were awarded qualifications without completing their training. Would the Minister of Defence confirm that the required number of personnel were trained for the submarine service and that all were provided with all the approved training?" he asked.

[Keith] Martin again handled the question adeptly, which essentially meant he didn't answer it. [Martin left the Conservative Party of Canada to join the Liberals before the last election. . . . . ]

Frulla, the Heritage Minister, was doing her own digging. She was questioned once again about a trip to Banff for the annual television festival during the June election by her predecessor, Helene Scherrer, which cost taxpayers $55,000. [Helene Chalifour-Scherrer -- on the Challenger jet]

Oda, the Conservative critic, said Scherrer's speech did not contain a word about the festival. "The speech starts with and I quote: 'Why Canada's election is so important' and ends with: 'That is what this election campaign is all about. Thank you, and voters willing, I look forward to seeing you again next year.' If that is not a campaign speech what is?"

Frulla meandered through a long non-answer . . .

Jason Kenney. . . piled on. "Imagine taking a Challenger jet across the country at a cost of $55,000 for an 800-word speech. I think that works out to about $72 a word."

. . . Frulla . . . . "She accepted the invitation to attend as a speaker long before the election campaign. The election was declared. She would have preferred to stay in her riding. She went there and delivered her speech and she came back. She took the jet to go back and forth. She did not go on a vacation. She defended the CRTC. So do so yourself."

A fugitive and former hired assassin has been found living in Montreal, providing security for one of the city's prestigious schools.

Real Simard, who admitted to conducting "hits" on behalf of the Cotroni Mafia clan during the 1980s, was working as a security guard at College Jean de Brebeuf before his arrest last Friday.

The former Jesuit school includes Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Robert Bourassa among some of its most famous graduates.

Simard, 53, had been working at the private school for the past nine months, using the pseudonym Charles Bouchard.

College spokesperson Diane de Champlain said school officials had done all they could to check the man's background before he was hired, but their background check had failed to reveal his criminal past. [. . . . ]