Report into the RCMP in-custody death of Mr. Robert Dziekanski, October 14, 2007

Report into the RCMP in-custody death of Mr. Robert Dziekanski, October 14, 2007
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Public Report************
Executive Summary
A Timeline
Complaint Process Flowchart
December 8, 2009
Ottawa, Ontario – The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP's (CPC) two-year long investigation into the RCMP in-custody death of Robert Dziekanski on October 14, 2007 has concluded. The CPC report highlights 23 findings and 16 recommendations made to the RCMP. The report was provided to the RCMP and the Minister of Public Safety on October 15, 2009.
The CPC endeavours to include the RCMP Commissioner's response to reports it writes prior to public release. However, with more than 100 complaints received on this case, the CPC has deemed it in the public interest to release the report without any further delay.
The details of the Robert Dziekanski case are now well-known to the public. Simply stated, the conduct of the four members of the RCMP who responded to the 911 calls of a disturbance being caused by Mr. Dziekanski fell short of that expected of members of the RCMP. Additionally, while the subsequent investigation was found to be unbiased, it could have been done better. The CPC report also raises concerns about the manner in which the RCMP communicated with the public following Mr. Dziekanski's death.
It is the CPC's intent that its findings and recommendations contribute to the improvement of policing practices and assist in preventing such a tragedy from recurring.
Key Findings
While they were in the lawful execution of their duties as police officers, the four officers failed to adopt a measured, coordinated and appropriate response to Mr. Dziekanski's reported behaviour.
The senior on-scene RCMP member failed to take charge of the RCMP's response.
No meaningful attempt was made to de-escalate the situation.
No warning—visual or otherwise—was given to Mr. Dziekanski prior to him being tasered by the Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW).
Use of the CEW against Mr. Dziekanski was premature and inappropriate.
The CEW was used multiple times on Mr. Dziekanski without any significant effort made to determine the need for further use.
The RCMP members present should have more actively provided first aid and monitored Mr. Dziekanki's condition.
The four RCMP members inappropriately met alone after the death of Mr. Dziekanski—prior to giving their statements.
The versions of events given to investigators by the four RCMP officers involved in the Vancouver International Airport in-custody death of Robert Dziekanski are not deemed credible by the CPC.
The senior on-scene RCMP member should not have been present at the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) briefing held at the Richmond Detachment on October 14, 2007.
No bias or partiality toward the involved RCMP members was present in the IHIT investigation of the death of Mr. Dziekanski, but the Pritchard video should have been shown to the members before taking statements from them.
The RCMP should have released certain information to the media which would have served to clarify information pertaining to the death of Mr. Dziekanski and corrected erroneous information previously provided without compromising the IHIT investigation.
The CPC first became engaged in the Vancouver International Airport incident on October 15, 2007 when it deployed an independent observer to the RCMP's criminal investigation into events surrounding the death of Mr. Dziekanski. The CPC Chair-initiated complaint and subsequent investigation was launched by CPC Chair Paul E. Kennedy on November 8, 2007.
The CPC is distinct and independent of the RCMP and has jurisdiction over public complaints regarding all members of the RCMP.
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For more information, please contact:Nelson KalilManager, Communications613-952-2452nelson.kalil@cpc-cpp.gc.ca

Detainee incident renews debate in House

Detainee abuse incident renews debate in House
Last Updated: Monday, December 7, 2009 11:01 PM ET Comments0Recommend1
CBC News
A previously known incident of abuse of a detainee by Afghan policemen was raised in the House of Commons on Monday as evidence of serious problems in Canada's handling of prisoners.
"What kind of government, what kind of Canadian government, refuses to act on credible accusations of torture — evidence of torture, in this case, evidence provided by Canadian Forces?" Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said during question period.
In June 2006, a joint Canadian-Afghan operation in Zangabad village, about 40 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city, netted several prisoners. The Afghan National Police eventually took custody of the prisoners, all of whom were freed except one. That man was beaten by a group of five or six local ANP members.
The details were recorded in notes taken by Canadian soldiers in the field and were among documents submitted as part of a Federal Court action in which Amnesty International and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association sought to stop further prisoner transfers.
The notes reveal Canadian soldiers took custody of the prisoner, provided medical treatment and eventually handed him to provincial ANP. The incident was first outlined in a May 2007 affidavit by Col. Steven Noonan, the first Canadian Task Force-Afghanistan commander.
On Monday, the federal government said those reports reveal nothing nefarious was going on — at least not involving a detainee held by Canadians.
'Not a Canadian detainee'
"The Afghan in question was not a Canadian detainee, and our men and women in uniform did the right thing," Transport Minister John Baird said.
Baird's distinction is based on a legal question about whether a detainee caught by Canadian soldiers during a joint Canadian-Afghan operation is a Canadian detainee, as opposed to a prisoner caught by Canadian soldiers and transferred to Afghan authorities later.
When the incident first broke in May 2007, the government stressed that the prisoner was never a Canadian detainee. But the field notes obtained by CBC News indicate the soldiers on the ground didn't make that distinction, nor did Noonan who testified before the Federal Court.
"I think it's frankly outrageous," said NDP defence critic Jack Harris, "that ministers would get up in the House and essentially say that sworn evidence of soldiers, generals and contemporaneous notes of soldiers, are in fact lies."

Swedes Backing -Left Parties

Swedes Backing -Left Parties
November 24, 2009

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in Sweden are throwing their support behind a coalition of centre-left parties, according to a poll by Sifo published in Svenska Dagbladet. 48.9 per cent of respondents would vote for the alliance encompassing the Workers’ Party - Social-Democrats (S), the Environmental Party - The Greens (MP), and the Left Party (Vp) in the next legislative election, essentially unchanged since October.
The governing alliance—featuring the Moderate Rally Party (M), the People’s Party Liberals (FpL), the Centre Party (C) and the Christian-Democrats (KD)—is a close second with 44 per cent. The far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) garner the support of 5.8 per cent of decided voters—above the threshold to earn seats in the legislature.
Swedish voters renewed the Diet in September 2006. The centre-right alliance secured 178 seats, ending the ten-year tenure of Social-Democrat prime minister Goran Persson. Moderate leader Fredrik Reinfeldt became prime minister in October 2006. In January 2007, former sustainable development minister Mona Sahlin took over as the new leader of the Social-Democrats.
Each European Union (EU) member state presides over the Council of the EU for a period of six months, in accordance with a pre-established rotation. In July, Sweden took over these responsibilities from the Czech Republic.
On Nov. 20, Reinfeldt praised the appointment of Belgian prime minister Herman van Rompuy as the new president of the EU and Catherine Ashton as the EU’s high representative for foreign and security policy, declaring, "We were looking for individuals who could create continuity, who could bring us together, be Europe’s voice, face and presence in the world. I think we have achieved this."
The next general election in Sweden is scheduled for Sept. 19, 2010.
Polling Data
What party would you support if a general election were held today?

Nov. 2009
Oct. 2009
Aug. 2009
Opposition Parties (Centre-Left)
48.9%
49.2%
48.1%
Workers’ Party - Social-Democrats (S)
33.3%
35.7%
32.8%
Environmental Party - The Greens (MP)
9.7%
7.6%
9.2%
Left Party (Vp)
5.9%
5.9%
6.1%
Governing Alliance (Centre-Right)
44.0%
44.4%
45.2%
Moderate Rally Party (M)
28.5%
29.2%
27.6%
People’s Party Liberals (FpL)
7.0%
6.3%
6.8%
Centre Party (C)
4.5%
4.6%
6.1%
Christian-Democrats (KD)
4.0%
4.3%
4.7%
Sweden Democrats (SD)
5.8%
4.7%
4.2%
Source: Sifo / Svenska Dagbladet Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,894 Swede adults, conducted from Nov. 1 to Nov. 11, 2009. No margin of error was provided.

New Democrat transport critic calls for review of Canada’s aviation safety regime!,

New Democrat transport critic calls for review of Canada’s aviation safety regime
Wed 02 Dec 2009
OTTAWA – Transport Canada needs to review its entire Aviation Safety program following revelations by safety inspectors and mechanics testifying before the House of Commons Transport Committee, said New Democrat Transport Critic Dennis Bevington (Western Arctic).
“We heard how inspectors are spending all of their time doing paperwork rather than actually making sure aircraft are safe and we heard that the pilots who the aircrafts are not always qualified,” said Bevington. “The change to safety management systems has resulted in Transport Canada not being aware of serious safety violations.”
A Safety Management System (SMS) approach has the airlines developing their own programs to deal with safety problems. Transport Canada began the move to SMS in 1999. The system is recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization but only with continuation of regular safety inspections and enforcement.
Currently SMS is in place for large airlines. In an email sent on November 13, 2009, Martin Eley, Transport Canada’s Director General of Civil Aviation, wrote that there are “common concerns” with SMS. Eley goes on to say that implementation of SMS for air taxi and commuter operations will be delayed until January 2011.
“This delay shows Transport Canada is aware of problems with the system, what I don’t understand is why they think it can continue to work for large airlines,” said Bevington. “If it isn’t protecting Canadians on small airlines how can it protect Canadians when they fly on the large airlines which carry the vast majority of passengers?”
In responding to a Bevington’s question in the House of Commons on December 1, Transport Minister John Baird said he sees aviation safety as the government’s concern.
“I’m glad the Minister agrees that the role of Transport Canada is to ensure public safety,” said Bevington. “That is why he should order a review of the safety regime and fix the system immediately.”
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Government wanted quick Afghan detainee transfers

Government wanted quick Afghan detainee transfers
Source: CBC News
Posted: 12/03/09 6:50PM
Filed Under: Top News
Canada's top two commanders in Afghanistan in spring 2006 told investigators the government pressured them to transfer detainees to Afghan authorities faster than they felt was appropriate, CBC News has learned.
Investigators for the military police complaints commission interviewed Brig.-Gen. David Fraser and Lt.- Col. Tom Putt, who both described the government as being obsessed with speed when it came to the transfer of Afghan detainees, according to transcripts of those interviews obtained by CBC News.
Commanders in Canada wanted detainees handed over within 12 hours faster, in most cases, than soldiers in the field could process them.
The first three Afghan detainees captured by Canadian troops in Kandahar province were taken April 6, 2006. After being on the receiving end of a Canadian attack, they needed medical care and, according to military orders, to be questioned and eventually transferred to Afghan authorities.
All of this usually happened within 96 hours too slow for the government, according to Fraser and Putt's accounts to investigators examining allegations of abuse of Afghan detainees.
The moment a detainee was captured, Fraser said, he had to notify his boss in Ottawa, Lt.- Gen. Michel Gauthier.
"As soon as I got a detainee, I would phone him," Fraser said, adding the question he got back was: "How fast could we get them to hand over to the Afghan authorities?"
Fraser, who was in charge of Canadian troops in Afghanistan in 2006, said the question puzzled him because he didn't understand the need for speed.
Neither did Putt, who was Fraser's deputy and the commander responsible for the handling of detainees. He said the government's unofficial goal for transfer was 12 hours.
But it was difficult to get the prisoners back to base in Kandahar and they often required medical treatment, all of which took time.
Putt said he resisted Ottawa's calls for speed, sometimes because it was difficult to find an Afghan authority for the transfer.
"We took a bit of heat on that from Ottawa," Putt told investigators. "' Move, move, move,' [but] we can't. There's no one to hand them off to in the police station, you know?"
Both Putt and Fraser said the military's interest in detainees ended as soon as the prisoners were transferred. The military didn't monitor their condition that was not its jurisdiction, Fraser said.
And the government's position was that monitoring detainees was an Afghan problem.
"It's their country, it's their elected government, it's their security forces, and if we can't you know, hand [detainees] off to them, then you know, why are we here?" Putt said.
It wasn't until a full year after Canada started transferring detainees that the government started monitoring their treatment. In the meantime, it has been alleged that many had been abused possibly even tortured.
Richard Colvin, a former senior diplomat with Canada's mission in Afghanistan, told a parliamentary committee last month that all detainees transferred by Canadians to Afghan prisons were likely tortured by Afghan officials.
He also said his concerns were ignored by top government officials and that the government may have tried to cover up the issue.
The government denies the allegations, saying the majority of them are baseless and made by the Taliban.
Putt's testimony also suggests Canadian troops frequently weren't capturing high value Taliban targets an assertion Colvin first raised two weeks ago.
"I mean, we were basically capturing a local yokel, " Putt said. "Detaining the local yokels and handing them off."

Swedish Health and Welfare Gay men may donate blood.

Gay men may donate blood: health board
http://www.thelocal.se/23590/20091201/
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Gay men in Sweden are to be permitted to donate blood provided they have not had sex with another man for at least a year, according to a new health board ruling.
Stockholm Pride asks: 'how hetero' is your Facebook? (26 Nov 09)
Online sperm donor sows seeds of debate (9 Nov 09)
Sweden's first lesbian bishop consecrated in Uppsala (9 Nov 09)The decision from the Swedish Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) heralds a relaxation of a total ban on blood-giving for gay and bisexual men, with the new rules set to take effect on March 1st next year. Fredrik Nilsson, 29, of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), expressed satisfaction that the rules are set to change. "I think it's wrong to discriminate against an entire group. It's good that it's becoming fairer," he said. But he also had reservations as to whether the rule change would make a real difference. "They've included an awful lot of conditions, to the extent that in reality it will be almost impossible to give blood should I wish to do so," he told the TT news agency. In fixing the period during which gay men must steer clear of sexual intercourse at one year, the health board has backtracked on its own proposal for a six-month period of abstinence. The switch from six months to twelve follows criticism from the majority of interested parties involved in the consultation process. The Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket), for example, pointed out that blood from Sweden would no longer be approved for sale under existing EU directives if the country were to allow gay men to donate plasma. "The way things look now it's possible that blood centres will have to have two separate lines, whereby they block plasma from men who have sex with men so that it doesn't go to the industry," said health board spokesperson Monica Axelsson. While it can take some weeks for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and hepatitis to appear in test results, the health board is of the opinion that there are no medical grounds for a permanent blood donor ban for homosexual men.Donors have to fill in a detailed form about their health, including their sexual history, before being approved as donors. All donated blood is then tested before being used, said Axelsson. Previous survey results have also shown that many homosexual men have given blood in Sweden despite the ban. "People haven't told the truth," said Monica Axelsson, explaining how some men had skirted the regulations.

Female ski jumpers to appeal to Supreme Court

Female ski jumpers to appeal to Supreme Court
Source: CBC News
Posted: 12/01/09 2:21PM
Filed Under: Canada
Female ski jumpers who want their event included in the 2010 Olympics will appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, hoping a decision can be made before the Vancouver Games in February.
Deedee Corradini, a spokeswoman for the women, said they hope Canada's top court will decide whether to hear the case within the next two weeks and hand down a decision by mid-January.
She said they decided to appeal because they feel the issue of discrimination is bigger than one event at the Games.
The women claim Vancouver's Olympic organizing committee, known as VANOC, is violating their rights by staging ski jumping events for men but not women.
Last month, female ski jumpers from Canada and the U.S. lost their case in a unanimous decision by the B.C. Court of Appeal.
The Appeal Court judges stood by the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court in July. In that ruling, Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon said that while it was discriminatory to exclude the women's event, VANOC could not be held responsible.
The skiers had argued that VANOC should have been compelled to stage a women's ski jump event even though it was not sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because VANOC is subject to Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with its guarantees of gender equality.
The IOC voted in 2006 not to include women's ski jumping at the Games, saying the sport had not met the required technical criteria.