IN THE MATTER OF DAVID PHILIPPE BARLAGNE v. THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION Summary....

IN THE MATTER OF DAVID PHILIPPE BARLAGNE v. THE
MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION
Summary : The application for judicial review of the applicant, Mr. David Philippe
Barlagne, is dismissed. Mr. Barlagne, a citizen of France, asked the Court to set aside the
decision of the visa officer refusing his application for permanent residence on the basis
that his daughter, Rachel Barlagne, who has hypotonic cerebral palsy with cerebellar
dysfunction, is inadmissible to Canada as a result of her health condition that might
reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on social services.
The Court is satisfied that the agent did not breach its duty to act fairly. The fairness
letter, which set out the medical opinion, the prognosis, the social services required and
their associated costs, was sufficient to satisfy the requirement to act fairly. The CAIPS
notes were also sufficiently detailed and constitute adequate reasons. The Court found
that the visa officer and the medical officer took into account the applicant’s submissions
and evidence. The detailed plan provided by Mr. Barlagne indicated that his daughter
would continue to attend a public institution that offers special education and
rehabilitation services and that the family would pay for some services including the
rehabilitation services, namely speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
Therefore, the visa officer did not err in concluding that the costs related to teaching
resources for which the state would continue to be responsible under the proposed plan
constitute an excessive demand within the meaning of the Act. Last, while the applicant
was challenging the constitutional applicability or operability of subsection 38(1) of the
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act before the Court and the visa officer, he did not
serve any notice of constitutional question. Furthermore, the applicant did not submit
sufficient evidence in this respect. In any event, it is doubtful that the visa officer had any
jurisdiction to address such question.
Claudine Léger
Media Contact / Liaison avec les médias
Federal Court / Cour fédérale
Tel. / Tél. : 613-947-3177

Sweden defends women subjected to sexual violence in conflicts UN Action is.....

Sweden defends women subjected to sexual violence in conflicts

Sweden is to host two international conferences that draw attention to sexualised violence against women in conflicts. Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson has taken the initiative for a conference on action against sexualised violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sida will host a donor conference for UN Action against Sexualised Violence in Conflict (UN Action).
Margot Wallström, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict, is visiting Stockholm. In connection with her visit, Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson will present Sweden s extensive work against gender-based

violence against women in conflict.
"Combating violence against women is one of the Government's very highest priorities in development cooperation. That being so, the appointment of Margot Wallström to the newly established UN post of Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict is an especially welcome contribution to this important work," says Ms Carlsson.
Women and security, including combating gender-based violence, is a focus area in the

Government s priorities in development policy.
During the spring of 2010, the Government will adopt both a new policy on security and development and a policy on gender equality and the rights and role of women in development cooperation. Both will highlight the situation and role of women in conflict and peace-building.
In addition, two major conferences are being organised this spring. Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson has issued an invitation to a conference gathering Congolese and international actors in Stockholm on 25-26 May to discuss action against sexual violence in the DRC. This will take place within the framework of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs action plan for the DRC, which concentrates on the areas democracy/governance, human rights with a focus on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820, and security sector reforms. An overarching aim is increased international cooperation to defend positive change in the DRC in these areas.
Later, Sida will host a donor meeting for UN Action in Stockholm in mid-June 2010. UN Action is

a coordinating body with representatives from 13 UN entities and works on projects aimed at combating sexual violence in conflict. UN Action is named in UNSC Resolutions 1820 and 1888 as one of the most important UN initiatives in this connection.
The Government's commitments to women and security involve extensive work, not least in the context of its country strategies, particularly those for the twelve countries designated conflict or post-conflict countries. A major focus in these countries is to protect women and girls in conflicts and humanitarian crises, including combating impunity for sexual abuse. Another focus is on creating conditions for women to participate more extensively in peace processes and reconstruction.
In Afghanistan, Sweden is working with UNIFEM and others via a multi-year cooperation programme. The programme includes capacity building, advocacy and prevention of violence against women.

In another example, Sweden will continue to act against sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in cooperation with various actors and networks. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has supported projects aimed at enabling women in North and South Kivu to be active in following up the Goma agreement from 2008. In addition, support has been given to measures to assist women who have been raped so as to enable them to return home.
In winter 2009, the Government adopted a new national action plan for work on UNSC Resolution 1325, including Resolution 1820. Experience shows that when women s organisations take part in peace negotiations and decision-making processes at all levels, the chances of sustainable peace and security for the entire society increase. Sweden therefore works on the assumption that this is a security issue among others in other words, that it is not exclusively a women's issue.
Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to adopt a national action plan in this area and as stated, a new plan was drawn up last year.

No consensus at Quebec niqab hearings : Quebec's bar association, &Quebec League of Rights and Liberties. NOT Happy with it.

No consensus at Quebec niqab hearings

CBC News
There was little consensus on Tuesday as hearings began in Quebec's legislature on a draft law that would force Muslim women who wear full face coverings for religious reasons to remove them before receiving certain public services.
The proposed law — Bill 94 — was tabled earlier this year following a controversy over a Montreal woman who refused to uncover her face while attending publicly funded French-language classes for new immigrants.
A woman wearing a niqab at a protest against Bill 94 in front of Montreal City Hall in April. The proposed bill would require Muslim women to remove their face coverings in order to receive some government services. (Peter McCabe/Canadian Press)The bill does not specifically mention any particular religion but says anyone seeking a public service related to security, communication or identification must show their face.
The controversy was sparked by Naïma Atef Amed, who is of Egyptian origin and wears a niqab.
Amed filed a complaint earlier this year with the province's human rights commission after she was kicked out of a government-funded language class at the CÉGEP de Saint-Laurent in Montreal.
"We're essentially tabling this legislation to respond to an interest in the community to deal with reasonable accommodation [of minorities]," said Justice Minister Kathleen Weil on Tuesday.
"Some of the principal points of the legislation is to determine what is reasonable and what isn't."
The opposition Parti Québécois said the legislation is too weak and that only a full-blown law declaring secularism is acceptable.
"You never solve anything without principles and clear answers to clear questions," said the party's immigration critic, Louise Beaudoin.
"For example, you could still have obvious [religious symbols], wear obvious [symbols] in the civil service, except the niqab and the burqa."
Some groups say the bill might be an infringement of Charter rights, such as freedom of religion.
Even though the bill does not say so explicitly, it is de facto targeting Muslims, said Dominique Peschard, president of the Quebec League of Rights and Liberties.
The head of Quebec's bar association, Pierre Chagnon, warned that Charter rights, such as freedom of religion, must be taken into account.
Chagnon said the bill may go too far.
If enacted as it is, he said, the law could mean that a Muslim woman visiting Quebec who wears a niqab could be denied information at a tourism office unless she agreed to uncover her face.
The hearings at Quebec's national assembly are expected to last all week.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/05/18/niqab-hearings-quebec.html#socialcomments#ixzz0oLarbnz3

let's work toward a cure for Cystic Fibrosis

Eva's Legacy - ... let's work toward a cure for Cystic Fibrosis
May. 7th, 2010 at 10:30 PM
May is Cystic Fibrosis awareness month in Canada. Here are some events that are happening! More information can be found at the C.F. websiteswww.cfvancouver.cawww.cysticfibrosis.ca‘REDDY FOR A CURE’ – May 15 – 30 to honour Eva and her quest to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis - people all over North America are invited to dye their hair bright red and participate in the C.F. walks being held across Canada. If your community does not have a Great Strides Walk for C.F., why not start one? Why dye your hair? • It is an attention getter• It gets people talking about Cystic Fibrosis • Eva loved her red hair! Toronto Reddy for a Curehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Reddy-For-a-Cure-Toronto/121173801226556?ref=ts Vancouver Reddy for a Curehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Reddy-For-a-Cure/108071815888330GREAT STRIDES WALK FOR C.F.- May 30 To sponsor Eva’s mum, Janet Brine, go to http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=156294&langPref=en-CAPAINTING 65REDROSESA collaborative work of art involving 65 renowned Canadian artists. The completed piece will be unveiled on May 15 and donated to the Vancouver C.F. chapter. Maynard's auction house will market the work of art and auction it off on June 16. All proceeds will go directly to support C.F. research. For more information about this project go to http://web.me.com/angela.au.hemphill/Painting_65_Red_Roses/Welcome.html

Canadian Press-Harris Decima poll found that 58 per cent of respondents oppose Harper's exclusion of abortion funding!

Majority objects to leaving out abortion in G8 plan: poll

maternal health initiative that was meant to galvanize next month's G8 summit is now causing some queasiness -- among Canadians and internationally.
A new poll suggests that a majority of Canadians opposes the Prime Minister's refusal to fund safer abortions in developing countries, even as international concern grows about the state of his G8 maternal health initiative.
The Canadian Press-Harris Decima poll found that 58 per cent of respondents oppose Harper's exclusion of abortion funding in his drive to improve maternal and child health in poor countries.
That's up from about 46 per cent in March, when a similar question about aid for abortion access was asked. The increase suggests people are taking their time to think through the complex pros and cons before making up their minds, said Megan Tam, vice-president at Harris-Decima.
"It appears that the general sentiment of most Canadians is to have a maternal health policy that includes funding for abortion," she said.
The poll of 1000 people was conducted by telephone between May 6 and May 9. It has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
The survey found that opposition to the government's stand was about the same for both men and women, but was stronger in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia than other regions of the country.
Only 30 per cent of respondents said they would support the government's decision, down from about 48 per cent in March.
Harper has made maternal and child health his key focus for the G8 summit he is hosting in Ontario's cottage country six weeks from now -- a priority that was warmly received around the world, since there is widespread consensus that the health of poor kids and their moms deserves more attention.
But the initiative quickly got side-tracked in a domestic debate about whether Canada should be funding abortion. Harper did not give a clear answer until the end of April, when he said Ottawa would not contribute to abortion-related aid projects, but that other G8 countries are free to do so.
The debate has dominated Canadian discussion on the G8 for weeks, culuminating in a huge pro-life rally on Parliament Hill last week, where Conservative MPs and thousands of protesters congratulated Harper on his stand.
As Canadians wrestle with the abortion issue, international aid experts are worried that the momentum to raise much-needed G8 funding for mothers and children is flagging.
Ottawa has yet to set a G8 funding target for its initiative, let alone start raising money beyond its borders or put any forward itself. At the same time, demands on G8 money are growing fast, especially with a bail-out for Europe in the works.
So far, G8 development ministers have agreed that each country should come up with its own maternal health initiatives --an approach that gives Ottawa the freedom to side-step funding for abortion.
But there is little indication about how such an effort would be co-ordinated.
That's worrisome because it looks like every country will go off in its own direction, placing a big bureaucratic burden on recipient countries and leaving crucial areas unfunded, said one senior source at an international organization.
"The biggest risk is, each donor has its own rules."
Pressure is mounting on the G8 to make the maternal health initiative truly effective.
In a report released last week, the World Bank warned that donor funding for reproductive health in poor countries has "fallen off the radar" over the past few years.
While development aid for health soared by about 500 per cent between 1995 and 2007, aid for population and reproductive health rose only slightly during the same period, the bank said in releasing a five-year Reproductive Health Action Plan.
"The extent to which the G8 has internalized this as a key priority for development, that is extremely good news (as long as) they deliver," said Julian Schweitzer, acting vice-president of human development at the World Bank.
More than 350,000 women die every year because of childbirth and pregnancy problems, and 99 per cent of those deaths are in developing countries. And when mothers in developing countries die, their children suffer exponentially.
The best way to bring down maternal mortality is to give women the wherewithal to make choices about when they want to have children, and how many, Schweitzer said.
That means donor money should be targeted at contraception, reproductive health services and education of girls, he added.
Experts agree that billions of dollars in aid are necessary in order to meet a widely accepted United Nations target to significantly reduce maternal mortality rates by 2015.
Hopes for the G8 initiative led by Canada range from $4 billion to about $15 billion over the next five years.

Yay! 65_RedRoses DVD now available!

65_RedRoses DVD now available

Hello Friends of 65_RedRosesThe time has finally arrived! Presales of the 65_RedRoses DVD is now available for $19.99 until the end of May! Visit www.65redroses.com to order your copy now! Our wish is Eva's wish - to spread her message about the importance of organ donation so please help us spread the word about the film and forward this link to all your friends!All the best,Phil & NimishaDirectors "65_RedRoses"www.65redroses.comPS I believe this is the longer 72 minute theatrical release which is a more detailed and richer version of the 42 minute TV screening.

CBC T.V re Eva's Celebration of Love

http://65redroses.livejournal.com/143132.html

CBC T.V. news article re: Eva's Celebration of Love
May. 3rd, 2010 at 10:38 PM
This is a link to a CBC T.V. news article that followed the Celebration of Love for Eva. http://www.cbc.ca/video/player.html?category=News&clipid=1484276671