Meftih Newspaper June2013

7/28/2019 Meftih Newspaper June2013

1/24

Meftih The Life Line of Eritrean Community Award Winning Independent Monthly Newspaper

www.meftih.ca email: [email protected] 8 Issue 8 May 2013 -

Printed the rst Friday of every month Tel: 416-824-8124 Fax: 416-783-7850

6

Amazing Airfares

to Africa

and the Middle East!

Hurry,

before sale ends!

Call Zenab Warah

Tel 416-485-6387 ext 6326

Toll Free 1-877-727-6387

1220 Ellesmere Rd, Suite 1

Toronto, ON M1P 2X5

TICO #4631685, 4631677

905-896-9991 or 416-896-9991

905-896-9991 or 416-896-9991

29

2012 5

Proud to be your RealtorVince Thomas, MBA

Cell: 416-832-4980

Tel: 905-793-5000 / Fax: 905-793-5020

Email: [email protected]

www.vincethomas.ca

Sales Representative

If you want to buy or sell your home

contact the professional

Vince Thomas !

Our Services

* Spousal and Family Sponsorship

* Federal Skilled Worker

* Live-in Caregiver Program

* Work Permit & LMO

* Refugee Cases

* Student Visas & Permits* Visitor & Super Visas

* Citizenship & Permanent

Applications

* Commissioner of OathsAFFORDABLE RELIABLE DEPENDABLE

Contact: MONICA JOYCE AYODEJI(Licensed Canadian Immigration Practitioner)

10 Four Seasons Pl, Suite 1000, Toronto ON.

O: 416- 649-5841 / 647-328-4982 Fax: 416 649-5701

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.doublejoyimmigrationservices.com


2/24

Meftih May 2013 Volume 8 Issue 8: page 2

* Car Accident

* Slip & Fall* Insurance Claim

*

* *

!


3/24


Do you know whom to contact

when you wanted to buy a house

of your dream?Yes, you are right!

Raj SekhonDedicated, trusted and knowledgeable

905-783-1300

9 10 - 7

-

- 14

(... ) 1907

... ... ()

....

:

2013 2009

4 5 8

68

2015

1989


4/24


-

12

2007

12

-

22

....

.. . .

31 -

- 24

-

-

1991


5/24


6/24


( )

. . . 1

....

25 2013

...

2,000 ... .... 900

24

22 -

- - - -

Source: Assenna


7/24


Financial Assistance may be available to those who qualif y

C a l l N o w : 4 1 6 - 8 4 0 - 9 3 7 7

EI, WSIB, ODSP Clients an d New Immigr ants welc ome

Medical Office Assistant

Train to be a ...

Computerized Accounting

Network Engineering

Business Administration

Community Service Worker

Other Diploma Programs:

4 1 6 - 8 4 0 - 9 3 7 7

Customized Corporate Training available for:

MS-Office 2003, 2007, 2010

Upgrade MS-Office 2003 to 2007 or 2010

Microsoft server 2003 and 2008 Subjects

A+ Certification / Cisco CCNA

.ca

Registered as a Private Career College under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005

With CO-OP


8/24


Editors: Grace Cherian

Photographer: Mulugeta Zergaber

Contributors: Mohamed EdrisNaza HasebenebiMedhin Ghebreslasie, Amleset Tesfay, Bode Odetoy-

inbo, Mimi Chandy, Ken NtiamoaSubscription Costsin Canada $39 for a year and $59 for two years. In USA, it costs $45 fora year and $69 for two years.

Articles appearingin assorted columns of Meftih newspaper are intended to generate civil

& informed public discussions. You dont have to agree with opinions expressed by the writers.However, that should push you to express your own views. Through that way we generate lively

& civil discussions in the community. Rejoinders are not forums for personal insults & we want

readers to adhere to these principles.

Editor-in-chief

Aaron Berhane260 Adelaide St. E. Toronto,

ON. M5A 1N1 # 192

Tel: 416-824-8124Fax: 416-783-7850

[email protected]

www.meftih.ca

3

2001

30 7 39

! !

! * * !

! * * ! * * ! ! * *

! !


9/24


24 (United Nation StabilizationMission in DRC)

? 1960

? 90% ? ? ?

?

?

20

. . . 10

12


10/24


Experienced cleaners wanted for

downtown locationPlease fax resume, or contact information

to:

905-671-2227

905-671-2227 !

Cleaners Wanted

9

14

9

100

14

!

50 / - 50

50

42

30

21

()

23


11/24


Northwood Neighbourhood Services

proudly presents

The 3rd

AnnualShare the Light Awards Presentation Gala

Celebrate the best of the best!Paying tribute to those hardworking individuals in the non-profit sector who, through their leadership, theirtireless delivery of programs and services, and their commitment to enrich the community, have helped improvethe lives of others.

Celebrate with the Award Winners in the categories of:Leadership

Client SuccessService Excellence

Welcoming Communities

Date: Friday, June 14, 2013Place: Paradise Banquet Hall

7601 Jane Street, Vaughan, ON L4K 1X2 (HWY 7 & Jane St.)Time: 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.Ticket Price: $75 (a charitable tax receipt of $35 per ticket will be issued)

For more information: Samantha Koon 647-831-6076 or 416-748-0788 x 621


12/24


20

-

2007 5% 49 2005 24 2012 19 1979

30 95%

99% 90%

( Washington Con-sensus )

?

42

([email protected])

9

. . .


13/24


3

?

..! ? ! ? ? ? ?

-

?

..

10 . . . ?

! .. ..

?

.. !

? !

! ? !

..

? !

!

?

!

? ! !

!.. -- ! ..! ..

14


14/24


please see page 16

!

!

! ! !

? ? ?

! - -

-

13 . . .

By Rick MacInnes

There are calls to expel Eri-

treas top diplomat in Canadabecause he presides over a

system thats milking money

from the Eritrean community

in this country.

Evidence obtained by CBC

News suggests Consul Semere

Ghebremariam O. Micael is

again soliciting taxes despite a

threat by Canada eight months

ago not to renew his creden-

tials if he kept at it.

But one Eritrean in Toronto,

who has asked not to be identi-ed, tells the CBC it was busi-

ness as usual just a few weeks

later when he had to pay.

You have to go to the consul-

ate and they arrange how you

have to pay the money. They

want two per cent they

dont give you a reason. You

have to pay the money.

What would happen if he

didnt?

My family [in Eritrea] wouldget in trouble if I dont pay,

he said.

Threats and intimidation

A United Nations report last

year indicated that state threats

and intimidation were com-

monly used against families in

Eritrea to get their relatives liv-

ing in Canada and other coun-

tries to pay up, though now the

government sometimes uses a

nancial middleman.

As far as Im concerned itsa ruse, doing indirectly what

the government told them not

to do directly, said David Ma-

tas, a Winnipeg human rights

lawyer who represents some in

the Eritrean community who

resent it.

The dictatorship in Eritrea

imposes what the UN has

condemned as a worldwide

diaspora tax on its nationals,

valued at two per cent of their

income.

It often adds a second tax up to

$500, described on the Eritrean

government clearance form as

a donation to national defence

against Ethiopian invasion.

On Sept. 10, 2012, CanadasDepartment of Foreign Affairs

advised the Eritrean consul in

Toronto that soliciting and col-

lecting these taxes was incom-

patible with consular duties,

and his accreditation would

not be renewed if he and his

consulate didnt stop.

The consulate later indicated

in writing that it would com-

ply.

But audio provided to CBC

News by Eritrean-bornTeklezghi Yohannes Gabir

from a meeting he attended in

Winnipeg on April 21, 2013,

reveals a voice he identies

as that of the consul sound-

ing as if he is again soliciting

money.

What we are saying is that

you have to full the law of

the country to be an investor

because you are a citizen of the

country it says in a translation

done for the CBC to English

from Tigrinya, the language ofbusiness in Eritrea.

Therefore, since what it comes

down to is national honour and

law, any service that requires a

permit will have to remit two

per cent.

Refusing to pay

Gabir, 36, an Eritrean living in

Winnipeg, has paid the tax in

the past but refuses to pay any

more, and offered the audio

hoping it might help stop the

collections.

I was there personally, and

it was all aimed at collect-

ing money and sending it to

Eritrea, he said. I think the

Canadian government didnt

follow up and they dont know

what is going on.

But a source tells CBC News

that Canadas spy agency, the

Canadian Security Intelligence

Service (CSIS), is familiar

with the story and has been in

contact with the Eritrean com-munity seeking information

about the tax scam.

Eritreans in Canada say

consul still demands cash

from them


15/24



16/24


By Semere Andom

The moqSel Gibri[i] Col-

lector was dismissed, today

members of the Toronto

Chapter of the PFDJ gath-

ered to lick their wounds

and to counsel each other.

They showed brave faces

by invoking old PFDJ slo-

gans such as: the more we

are challenged the more

deant we become and the

more our victory is assured

against our enemies.

They addressed each oth-

er as btsay or comrade,

reminiscent of the armed

struggle generic title.PFDJ has long stopped

using btsay, but lately

this term and other revo-

lutionary adjectives are

slowing re-emerging. To

my mind this is a harbin-

ger at redening the issues

that are bedeviling Eritrea.

As PFDJ slowly loses sup-

port abroad, it is trying to

re-frame the problems not

as democracy and justice

matter, but as territorial in-tegrity.

The subtle message being:

Ethiopia, supported by

sell-out Eritreans and for-

eign countries, will occupy

Eritrea if PFDJ is not in

power. They hope that this

will help rally all Eritreans

in support of the PFDJ

as a sole protector of the

Eritrean sovereignty. The

songs, singers and the tonewere set during the May 24

celebration this year. They

are counting on a precedent

during the 1998 border war

with Ethiopia, when all

Eritreans, including long

time opposition members,

denounced Ethiopians in-

cursion into Eritrean terri-

tory and stood by the Eri-

trean government. Times

have changed, though,

and Eritreans are debat-ing whether to celebrate

or mourn Eritreas inde-

pendence as in its wake

has ushered sufferings that

pale in comparison to what

the thugs before PFDJ have

inicted upon them.

True to its roots, the PFDJToronto Chapter celebrat-

ed its tragic failures, many

of the devout yes men and

women stood-up and de-

livered hate mongering

speeches against Aaron

Berhane and Ghezae Ha-

gos, members of the Eri-

trean Human Rights Group

who worked tirelessly to

make the dismissal of the

money-laundering PFDJ

agent happen. They ac-

cused both Ghezae and

Aaron as paid agents

working on behalf of their

bosses in New York.

They also asserted their

Eritrean Canadian right to

stand-up against the bully-

ing of Canada and the UN.

One by one they took on

the microphone to preach

to the converted why Can-

ada is targeting them while

they are paying the 2%

voluntarily after they have

involuntarily paid taxes

to Canada. They invoked

their legal right to ght not

only against the sell-out

Eritreans but against the

Canadian government who

they said has targeted them

without hearing their side

of the story. They pledged

to ght as it is in their

DNA to do so as it has been

proved during the long Eri-trean armed struggle.

Mr. Semere Ghebremari-

am O. Micael was asked

to give remarks by YPFDJ

member and below is the

gist of his remarks:

Without mentioning Aaron

Berhane by name, he said

that he is a sell-out working

for someone else and this

is nothing new to us and

that we will persevere as

we have done before. Ourenemies know that we are

strong and they know that

we can create miracles so

they are so afraid of us. If

I have worked against the

rules of my host country

my government would be

the rst to discipline me.

As the government of Eri-trea said in its statement,

this is nothing except an

infantile bully. Eritreans

are united during such

moments of trials, but we

can be complacent during

times of peace. War has

been declared against us

and the gloves are off. Let

us stop being complacent

he sheepishly said. He la-

mented that the world that

was silent when Eritreanswere slaughtered in Ona

is accusing Eritrea of sup-

porting terrorism.

When Dawits turn came

to speak, he said that what

Minister John Baird said

was so humiliating that he

would have slapped him

if he was physically near

him, even if it meant that

he would be arrested, to

which the crowd respond-

ed with supportive cheers

and clapping.

Several people collective-

ly pledged over $10, 000

to help hire a lawyer to

ght Aaron Berhane and

Ghezae Hagos, who they

said were hell bent to tar-

nish the good name of the

Eritrean Community and

Eritrean government.

They have struck a newCanada-wide committee

that will speak on behalf

of the PFDJ. This commit-

tee will be named CECCO

and comprises members

from 7 Eritrean Communi-

ties across Canada and will

expand to include Eritrean

business associations to

make it robust to withstand

the assault from Hidmona

Eritrean Human group and

Aaron Berhane.Ahmed, the former PFDJ

PFDJ Toronto Mourns Its Tax Collector

Please see page 18

And the issue was also laid

out to federal ofcials as re-

cently as three months ago,

according to Ghazae Hagos,

who was present at the meet-ing.

Hagos, a former journalist

in the Eritrean capital of As-

mara, speaks for HIDMONA,

the Eritrean-Canadian Human

Rights Group of Manitoba.

He says he and a colleague

met last February with Con-

servative MP Deepak Obhrai,

the parliamentary secretary to

the minister of foreign affairs,

and a deputy director from

the Africa division of the De-partment of Foreign Affairs

and International Trade.

They said they

were very con-

cerned about it.

They said they

would seriously

study the mat-

ter and take the

appropriate ac-

tion, Hagos

said.

In the past, Eri-trean Consul

Semere Ghebre-

mariam Micael denied theres

opposition to the tax and said

as much on the radio network

Voice of America (VOA) on

Sept. 27, 2012, just days after

Canada told him to get out of

the business or lose his ac-

creditation.

I dont have much doubt

that this is going to be an

obstacle to the people the

public is still doing it, sayingabout this matter. It is our

right to pay. We dont have

any problems with our com-

munity, he said.

Reliance on diaspora for

cash

Eritrea is one of the youngest

and poorest countries in Af-

rica. And with 10,000 politi-

cal prisoners lling its jails,

according to an Amnesty In-

ternational report this month,

one of its most repressive. In-

dependence came only afterdecades of conict with Ethi-

opia, with which it maintains

an uneasy peace today.

Consequently, the regime re-

lies on diaspora cash for hard

currency. But according to the

UN, it also uses its money to

support armed rebels oppos-

ing Ethiopia, and others with

ties to the notorious al-Sha-baab movement in Somalia.

Because of Eritreas desta-

bilizing role in the troubled

Horn of Africa, the UN im-

posed sanctions on the coun-

try in 2009, hoping to choke

off its access to arms and

money.

Canada later adopted them,

meaning those who pay are

violating UN sanctions and

may also be breaking Cana-

dian law according to pastreports.

Through it all, the consul has

not been shy about his coun-

trys intention to keep col-

lecting cash no matter how

Canada views it.

In the VOA interview on Sep-

tember 2012, he interpreted

Canadas warning just a few

days earlier, as a green light

for Eritrea to keep collecting.

What the government ofCanada is saying is that the

task of a consulate ofce is

not to collect a tax of two per

cent, and it is not your man-

date to do that, so you cannot

collect payment here.

But the law of Eritrea is still

there as it is, and they have

not said anything about that.

Therefore, it is not that Eri-

trea should not ask payment,

but you cannot charge here.

To that end, Ghazae Hagos ofHIDMONA says Eritrea has

adopted some opaque bank-

From page 14

Eritreans in Canada . .

please see page 17


17/24


* Instant Tax Refund

* Personal, Business &

Corporate Tax Returns

* Financial, Taxation

Advice

* Canadian & US Tax

Returns

* Mortgage Financing

* Year Round Tax

Services

ing methods.

Money wired to Germany

In a sworn afdavit seen by CBC

News, an Eritrean who has asked

not to be identied describes be-

ing schooled in the tax payment

process by ofcials at the Eri-

trean Consulate in Toronto, three

months after Canada warned the

ofce to end its involvement.

Several hundred dollars of his

money were subsequently wired

from a Canadian bank, to a sec-ond nancial institution in Ger-

many called the Deutsche Zentral-

Genossenschaftsbank (DZ Bank)

of Frankfurt.

From there, the documents show

the funds were wired to a third in-

stitution, the Housing and Com-

merce Bank of Eritrea in the capi-

tal city of Asmara, of which the

majority owner is the ruling re-

gime, the Peoples Front for De-

mocracy and Justice.

They should stop, said Win-

nipeg human right lawyer David

Matas. But they were already

asked to stop and they didnt, so

I think they should be evicted. I mean,theyre thumbing their noses at the Ca-

nadian authorities.

If Canada doesnt do something, Ma-

tas worries its setting up people from

Eritrea and potentially other expatriate

communities to become walking ATMs

for other regimes.

If Eritrea gets away with it, were go-

ing to start seeing China doing it. And

Iran doing it. And North Korea doing it.

And I think we have to make every ef-

fort to stop this right now, or else were

going to see it mushroom.

Ghazae Hagos of the Eritrean-Canadi-

ans Human Rights Group of Manitoba

said he would like to see the Eritrean

Consulate closed.

Canada has to go beyond threat of

pressure, of threat of expulsion of the

consul. I think the closure of the con-

sulate ofce is long overdue if Canada

is really serious about it.

CBC News contacted the Eritrean Con-

sulate three times in the past week to

request comment, but telephone callswere not returned.

Source: CBC.CA

Eritreans in Canada . .From page 16


18/24


Please see page 24

By Grace Cherian

Have you felt bummedout after binging ondoughnuts or hamburg-ers? Thats becausedepression and dietmay be related. Re-search suggests thateating a poor diet canmake you more vulner-able to depression.Research findings:

Eating foodshigh in trans fats (ar-tificially produced, un-natural fats) increasethe risk of depression. Eating fish, veg-etable oils and oliveoil are associated withlower risk of depres-sion.A group of research-ers in Britain lookedat depression and dietin over 3,000 middle-aged office workersover the course of fiveyears. They found thatpeople who ate a junkfood diet one high inprocessed meat, choc-

olates, sweet desserts,fried food, refined ce-reals and high-fat dairyproducts were morelikely to report symp-toms of depression.Another group of re-searchers at the Uni-versities of Navarraand Las Palmas deGran Canaria in Spain

followed and analyzedthe diet and lifestyle ofover 12,000 volunteersover six years. Whenthe study began, noneof the participants hadbeen diagnosed withdepression. But by theend, there were 657new sufferers.The researchers foundthat eating trans fatsincreased the risk ofdepression by 48%.But consuming oliveoil reduced the chanceof getting depressionby 35%. Thats be-cause olive oil is highin healthy omega-9fatty acids. They also

found that polyunsatu-rated fats (these aretypically liquid at roomtemperature and whenchilled) like oils fromnuts and seeds, lowerthe risk of depressionrisk.These studies also helpto explain how peoplein Northern Europe-

an countries (whereprocessed foods aremore common) havemore mental healthproblems comparedwith those living inSouthern Mediterra-nean countries, wherefresh fish, beans, sal-ads and olive oil aredaily staples.More research needsto be done on theconnection betweendepression and diet.In the meantime, youmay want to eat yourveggies and cut backon the junk food.

Depressionand junk

food

representative in Ottawa,

who said that he was dis-

missed by George Bush,

mentioned that he issued

Ghezae Hagos an Eritreanpassport when Ghezae was

in Montreal studying nan-

cially supported by the 2%

Eritrean contribution. He

did not have problem then;

now, he has a problem with

the tax that Eritreans are

contributing with their own

volition. He also accused

both Ghezae and Aaron

as agents working for re-

mote bosses. He added

that Aaron Berhane is justtrying to pay back what he

is owed while he was in

Eritrea. He came here with

the payment he received

when he was in Eritrea by

Eritreas enemies. Ahmed,

of course, did not mention

that Aaron Berhane was

shot at while escaping his

country to avert the crack-

down of the journalists or

the well-known fact that

all his peers and friendshave been disappeared for

the last 12 years.

Listening to the speeches

by the supporters, YPFDJ

and PFDJ leaders you

would not think this is an

epoch 22 years of inde-

pendence, it felt like the

mid-eighties. It was a call

to arms, bombs and bul-

lets according Temesghen

Haileab, who was the mas-

ter of ceremonies. But he

quickly retracted his line

of we want guns and bul-

lets by saying we cannot

have guns and bullets here,

but we need money to ght

the bully that Canada is

and the paid agents.

The overriding theme of

all the speakers was that

the ght has started, the

gloves are off and that the

Eritrean-Canadian Com-

munity must rally to de-

fend its dignity. The irony

in this meeting was that ev-

eryone who spoke invoked

their right as Canadians to

defend themselves, their

reputation and their lega-

cy. A woman speaker even

said we cannot punch orkill Aaron here so we have

to legally ght him and

silence him. We have to

take action to silence and

to even conne him in his

residence. The speakers

were angry that their hu-

man right was violated by

Canada when it humiliat-

ingly dismissed Semere

Ghebremariam O.Micael.

I immediately remembered

those Eritrean languishing

in jails for decades.

There were also contradic-

tions: while they asserted

their Canadian right that

no bully can take away,

they also lectured the au-

dience to teach their kids

the Eritrean culture and

history and to tell them

to stay in school to milk

the opportunities that the

Canadian system affords

them. Our kids will be

Kings and Queens in Eri-trea because eventually we

will all return back to our

homeland, said a speaker

who they called Gebar.

The ugly reality is that the

Eritrean kids born here

will stay in Canada, will

marry into black, white

or Chinese Canadians and

the pure Eritrean blood

that triumphs over every

problem will be no more.

I would advise Aboy Ge-bar to teach his kids truth,

fairness and he is not doing

them any favor by groom-

ing them to be members of

YPFDJ, Africas version of

Hitler Youth.

Last but not least, thanks to

the label popularized by the

Ghedli-Romantics, all the

opposition were referred to

as Andent, who are trying

to give Eritrea to Tigray.

Also conspicuously absentfrom the stage was Esti-

PFDJ Toronto Mourns . . .

From page 16


19/24


DUFFERIN CUSTOM

UPHOLSTREY & DECORATIONWe do new custom made:- Sofa, Chair, Headboard,

Slip Cover & Window Seats.

For your old furniture we do:- Re upholstery,

Restyle, Restoration & Replace foam cushion

-

*

416-546-1501 2350 DUFFERIN STREET TORONTO, ON

Your ad could be placedhere! call

416-824-8124

visit our websitewww.meftih.ca or www.meftih.digitalepaper.in

Eagle Manor PHARMASAVESpecialty services provided by us:

* Pharmasave Medication Manager

* Medication Delivery* Medication Reviews

* Live well consultations

* Live well community

seminars

1901 Weston Rd. unit 19 (at Lawrence ave)

Tel: 416-241-1115

Anwar SpicesSpecializing in Ethiopian spices Wholesale

* ::*

!Anwar Abdo

Tel: 416-283-3254 Cell: 647-859-4339 Fax: 416-284-8189

1202-4175 Lawrence Ave. E. Toronto, ON. [email protected]


20/24


Editors: Grace Cherian

Photographer: Mulugeta Zergaber

Contributors: Mohamed EdrisNaza HasebenebiMedhin Ghebreslasie, Amleset Tesfay, Bode Odetoy-

inbo, Mimi Chandy, Ken NtiamoaSubscription Costsin Canada $39 for a year and $59 for two years. In USA, it costs $45 fora year and $69 for two years.

Articles appearingin assorted columns of Meftih newspaper are intended to generate civil

& informed public discussions. You dont have to agree with opinions expressed by the writers.

However, that should push you to express your own views. Through that way we generate lively

& civil discussions in the community. Rejoinders are not forums for personal insults & we wantreaders to adhere to these principles.

Editor-in-chief

Aaron Berhane260 Adelaide St. E. Toronto,

ON. M5A 1N1 # 192

Tel: 416-824-8124Fax: 416-783-7850

[email protected]

www.meftih.ca

Today we in the Liberal Party afterhaving heard from you we took theinitiative andRaised Bar on Parliamentary Open-ness and Transparency,

We put forward a comprehensiveplan to increase openness and trans-parency in Parliament

We will be proactive and disclosetravel and hospitality expenses, wewill post quarterly online expense re-ports that are easily accessible byCanadians, and work with the AuditorGeneral to develop public guidelines

Have Your Say

to ensure proper spending in Parliament.

Here are some details:

Require Members of Parliament and Senators to proactively disclosetravel and hospitality expenses made by them and their staff.Introduce legislation to make meetings of the Board of Internal Econ-omy of the House of Commons open and transparent to the public.The ability of the committee to go in-camera where necessary (forexample, on sensitive HR matters) will remain, but not as is currently

the case, as a default. The Senate Board of Internal Economy isalready public.Create a common, quarterly and more detailed online expense reportfor spending by Members of Parliament and the Senate that is alsomore easily accessed and usable by the public from the home pageof the Parliament of Canada website.The House and Senate Boards of Internal Economy should work withthe Auditor General to develop mandatory performance audits of theHouse of Commons and Senate administration every three years,and public guidelines under which the Auditor General is called in toperform more detailed audits of parliamentary spending.Please let me know what you think and also have your say on thisinitiative:

http://karygiannis.net/transparency

Hon. Jim Karygiannis P.C., M.P.

Medications containing

codeine are no longer rec-

ommended for children

under the age of 12, HealthCanada says.

This recommendation is

based on very rare cases

of serious side-effects and

deaths in children that have

been attributed to codeine,

when given directly to a

child, or to babies from

breast milk, the regulator

said in a statement today.

Health-care professionals

and consumers should seek

alternatives to codeine for

the management of mild to

moderate pain or cough in

children less than 12 years

of age.

Codeine is metabolized

into morphine and is com-

monly used for pain relief.

Some people carry a genet-

ic mutation that leads them

to metabolize codeine at afaster rate and produce sig-

nicantly higher amounts

of morphine that can cause

unexpected overdoses.

Symptoms of a toxic reac-

tion to codeine, or any oth-

er opioid, may include:

Dizziness.

Confusion.

Extreme sleepiness.

Sudden shortness of breathor difculty breathing.

Patients who experience

difculty breathing should

seek immediate medical

attention, Health Canada

said.

In 2008, the agency in-

formed health-care profes-

sionals and the public of

the risk to nursing infants

whose mothers are ultra-

rapid metabolizers of co-

deine. After that, the drug

labels of prescription and

non-prescription products

containing codeine were

updated to highlight this

risk for anyone who is con-

sidered an ultra-rapid me-

tabolizer.

People were also cautioned

about using codeine in any

patient with breathing con-

ditions, including children.

Non-prescription products

containing codeine already

indicate that they should

not be administered to

children.

In 2009, researchers at the

Hospital for Sick Children

in Toronto described the

case of a two-year-old boy

who died after his tonsils

were removed and codeine

was used to treat the pain.

Tests later showed the

mother gave the proper

dose of syrup, but the body

contained high levels of

morphine.

Codeine not recommend-

ed for children under 12


21/24


LITIGATION Services* Motor Vehicle Accidents

* Slip & Falls

* Long-Term Disability Claims* Short-Term Disability Claims

* No-Charge Initial Consultation

7025 Tomken Rd. # 204

Mississauga, ON L5S 1R6

Tel: 905.565-0059 Fax: 905.565.0559

Olivia Akpari, B.A. LL.BBarrister, Solicitor & Notary Public

905-565-0059

Dr. Daljeet & AssociatesCaring for the community for over 25 years!

MAKE OVER YOUR SMILE* Implants * Veneers * Bonding * Whitening

- Let us take care of all your familys needs

- Lets give you a smile youll be proud of all year!

Call now for an appointment

416-492-3077Evening & Saturdays appointments available

2942 Finch Ave. E.

Unit # 4

Finch ave. E.

VictoriaParkave.

Dr. Nar Daljeet

Village Square Plaza

Scarborough, ON.


22/24


Technology & Science

QUEENS PARK NDP

MPP Taras Natyshak says

a proposed plan to raise theHST across Ontario is un-

fair to Ontarians and called

on the government to take

a balanced approach to

transit and transportation

investment.

New Democrats have

been clear that we believe

in a fair and balanced ap-

proach to funding badly

needed public transit, but

imposing a $1.3-billion

province-wide HST hike

on hardworking Ontarians

is not our idea of fair and

balanced, said the Essex

MPP today in question pe-

riod.

Natyshak praised the hard

work of Federal New

Democrats, like Thomas

Mulcair and Olivia Chow,

in emphasizing the role the

federal government needs

to play in public transit,

but reiterated that taking

over a billion dollars in

NDP: Province-wide HST hike is unfair

to Ontarianssales tax out of the pockets

of hardworking Ontarians

is not a fair and balanced

approach.

Natyshak called on the

government to explain

their position on the pos-

sibility of the sales tax in-

crease.

Why is this government

so determined to impose

a billion-dollar-plus prov-

ince-wide increase of HST

on hardworking Ontar-

ians? he asked.

QUEENS PARK Today

in the legislature, Dav-

enport NDP MPP Jonah

Schein called on the Min-

ister of Transportation to

acknowledge growing crit-

icism of the governments

plan to run diesel-powered

on the Union Pearson Ex-

press and nally commit to

immediate electrication

of the Air Rail Link.

Yesterday, scientist Dr.

David Suzuki added his

voice to an expanding listof people critical of the

Liberal governments plan

to run diesel trains along

the Air Rail

Link, said

Schein. Su-

zukis con-

cerns echo

those of

transit expert

Joell Ann

Vanderwa-

gen, who re-

cently called

the Liberals

Diesel plan

The worst

current ex-

ample of

wasted re-

sources and

opportunity.

And the Audi-

tor General has criticized

your governments diesel-powered line, saying high

fares will drive down your

overly optimistic rider-

ship projections.

Yesterday, MPP Schein re-

introduced his bill to push

forward the immediate

electrication of the Union

Pearson Express Air Rail

Link.

Schein asked the minister

when the Liberals will -nally realize their diesel

line is a bad plan and com-

mit to immediate electri-

cation of the Union Pear-

son Express. In response,

Murray was dismissive,

putting fears of embar-

rassment ahead of the

health of those families

and schools located close

to the Air Rail Link.

An electried line would

allow multiple stops. It

would generate higher rid-

ership, be more affordable,

and serve as a downtown

relief line for the west

end, stated Schein. The

governments plan to run

a diesel-powered execu-

tive service on the ARL

is a train wreck waiting to

happen. My bill will en-

sure that the governmentswitches tracks and moves

to immediately electrify

the line.

Scheins bill is supported

by Canadian Physicians for

the Environment, TTC Rid-

ers, and community groups

calling for the electrica-

tion of the Air Rail Link.

His bill is also supported

by the Asthma Society of

Canada, the Canadian Can-

cer Society (Ontario Divi-

sion), and the Clean Train

Coalition.

Liberals snub growing movementagainst toxic trains: NDP

rin being spoken within a

span of three subway sta-

tions. One might expect to

feel lost and overwhelmed

amidst such diversity but it

has an odd way of making

you feel right at home. It

has a way of making you

feel welcome even with

all you cultural and back-

ground differences.

Being a new comer to any

country is a tricky busi-

ness. One can go througha rollercoaster of emo-

tions of feeling defeated

and disappointed or elated

and optimistic all withinone day. Everyday has its

own set of challenges and

rewards and you can liter-

ally go out of breath trying

to keep up with the speed

at which your life is chang-

ing. But I chose to look at

my introduction to Cana-

da, specically to Toronto

as an adventure and so far

it has been a truly enjoy-

able adventure. Its been a

pleasure to meet you Can-

ada, hope well have greattimes together!

Rigat M.

From page 24The Adventures . . .

Electronic communications

could take place invisibly and

securely with ordinary equip-

ment, using a new cloaking

technique developed by re-

searchers at Purdue Univer-

sity in Indiana.

Its a potentially higher

level of security because it

doesnt even look like you

are communicating, said

Joseph Lukens, lead author

of a scientic paper describ-

ing the new technique, in a

statement. The paper was

published online Wednesday

in Nature.

The technique is a form of

temporal cloaking which

hides the movement of data

over time, rather than the

movement of physical objects

through space that is hidden

in spatial cloaking.

The data in the study was car-

ried in the form of light puls-

es along optical bres, much

like cable TV and internet

signals in your home.

The researchers hid the trans-

mission of the data by alter-

ing the transmitted signals us-

ing hardware devices called

phase modulators, which are

commonly used in optical

networks for a variety of dif-

ferent purposes.

In the study, two phase modu-

lators were set up to make sig-

nals interfere with each other

in such a way as to create

holes in the data. Two oth-

ers were used to cover up the

fact that the data was altered,

said a news release from Pur-

due University, which is lo-

cated in West Lafayette, Ind.

Eavesdroppers wont realize

the signal is cloaked because

it looks like no signal is being

sent, Lukens said.

The technique could also be

used to disrupt communica-

tions between two people and

can also easily be turned on

and off to thwart detection,

the researchers added.

The technique was able to

cover up the communications

about 46 per cent of the time,

making it potentially prac-

tical for commercial applica-

tions, said the news release.

The researchers suggested

the technique might be useful

for the military, homeland se-

curity or law enforcement.

Previous techniques for data

transmission cloaking re-

quired expensive, specialized

equipment and succeeded in

cloaking only a tiny fraction

of the data transmission.

Source: CBC

Cloaking technique makes data

transmission invisible


23/24


Please see page 24

The government is secretly

collecting the telephone

records of millions of U.S.

customers of Verizon under

a top-secret court order, ac-

cording to the chairwoman

of the Senate Intelligence

Committee. The Obama

administration is defend-

ing the National Security

Agencys need to collect

such records, but critics

are calling it a huge over-

reach.

Democrat Sen. Dianne

Feinstein told reporters

Thursday that the court or-

der for telephone records,

rst disclosed by TheGuardian newspaper in

Britain, was a three-month

renewal of an ongoing

practice.

I think people want the

homeland kept safe to the

extent we can, Feinstein

said at a Capitol Hill news

conference. We want

to protect these privacy

rights. Thats why this is

carefully done in federal

court with federal judgeswho sit 24/7 who review

these requests.

The disclosure raised a

number of questions: What

is the government looking

for? Are other big tele-

phone companies under

similar orders to turn over

information? How is the

information used and how

long are the records kept?

The sweeping roundup ofU.S. phone records has

been going on for years

and was a key part of the

Bush administrations

warrantless surveillance

program, according to a

U.S. ofcial.

The White House had no

immediate on-the-record

comment. Attorney Gener-

al Eric Holder sidestepped

questions about the is-

sue during an appearance

before a Senate subcom-

mittee, offering instead todiscuss it at a classied

session that several sena-

tors said they would ar-

range.

The order was granted by

the secret Foreign Intelli-

gence Surveillance Court

on April 25 and is good

until July 19, the Guard-

ian reported. It requires

Verizon, one of the na-

tions largest telecommu-

nications companies, on anongoing, daily basis, to

give the NSA information

on all landline and mobile

telephone calls of Verizon

Business in its systems,

both within the U.S. and

between the U.S. and other

countries.

The document shows for

the rst time that under the

Obama administration, the

communication records of

millions of U.S. citizensare being collected indis-

criminately and in bulk,

regardless of whether the

people are suspected of

any wrongdoing.

A former U.S. intelligence

ofcial who is familiar

with the NSA program said

that records from all U.S.

phone companies would be

seized by the government

under the warrants, and

that they would include

business and residential

numbers.

Source: AP

U.S. secretly collect-

ing huge number of

phone records

By Stewart Bell

TORONTO Canada is

expelling an Eritrean dip-

lomat after he was caught

using his consulate in To-

ronto as a fundraising front

for the repressive Africanregime and its military in

violation of international

sanctions.

Consul Semere Ghebre-

mariam O. Micael was

ordered home Wednesday

after a government investi-

gation conrmed his ofce

was soliciting money from

expatriates some of it

explicitly for the Eritrean

armed forces.

The fundraising scheme

was illegal because the

United Nations Security

Council has imposed sanc-

tions on the Eritrean mili-

tary over its support for

armed groups in the Horn

of Africa such as the al-

Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab.

Canada has taken steps

to expel (declared perso-

na non grata) Mr. Semere

Ghebremariam O. Micael,

Consul and head of the

Eritrean Consulate Gen-

eral in Toronto, effective

immediately, Foreign Af-

fairs Minister John Baird

said in a statement.

Mr. O. Micael must leave

Canada by noon on June 5.

As is typical in such cases,

the government gave no

explanation for the expul-

sion. The statement said

only that Ottawa had re-

peatedly told Eritrea to

respect international sanc-

tions and Canadian law.

Todays actions speak for

themselves, Mr. Baird

said.

The expulsion is meant

to send a message to the

Eritrean regime that its il-

licit fundraising practices

would not be tolerated in

Canada. It comes after

Foreign Affairs had repeat-

edly warned Eritrea in dip-

lomatic notes to stop.

But the consul continued

anyway and last week the

National Post revealed that

as recently as two weeks

ago he was still using hisofce to pressure Cana-

dians to hand over 2% of

their wages to the regime,

Canada expels Eritrean diplomat

as well as an additional

$300 to $500 for the coun-

trys military.

In an interview Monday,

Mr. Micael denied he was

collecting taxes and in-

sisted he was only provid-

ing information on how

donate to his impoverished

government He also said

he had not collected money

for the military for ve,

six years.

But an internal letter dis-

tributed by the consulate

last August explained how

to send money collected

in Canada to the regimes

military. Victory to the

masses! read the one-

page letter, obtained by the

National Post.

It told consulate repre-

sentatives how to use a

German bank account to

transfer payments from

Canada meant for Eri-

treas Ministry of Defence.

Dated Aug. 31, 2012, the

letter was evidence of an

organized attempt by the

Eritrean consulate to fund-

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird


24/24


From page 18

fanos Negussie, the long-

time PFDJ representative

in Toronto. He quietly sat

as if he was a regular sup-

porter and never appeared

on the stage. Lately, he has

been pressured by family

and friends to do the right

thing and resign. Even a

close friend went as far as

telling him that history will

be haunting him as an en-

abler of the suffering of his

people. A decent man, cor-

rupted by PFDJ, he ndshimself between a rock and

of the Eritrean Canadian

Association of Ontario

(ECAO), an organizationthat receives funds from

the tax payers of Canada,

while it is hosting and sup-

porting PFDJ. It is also al-

leged by many that it col-

laborates with the Eritrean

government to collect the

2% taxes that Canada cat-

egorized as illegal.

[email protected]

[i] In Tigrinya language,

antonym of Mohway Gi-

bri (healing tax). The 2%tax that bleeds Eritreans.

PFDJ Toronto Mourns . . .

raise for the state and its

armed forces in deance

of Canadas repeated de-

mands that it stop.

Eritrean-Canadians had

long complained about the

taxation system, calling

it extortion. The Eritrean-

Canadian Human Rights

Group recently provided

new evidence of the ongo-

ing fundraising scheme to

the Post as well as to For-

eign Affairs, which was

already conducting its own

investigation.

Canada. The government

statement said Eritrea was

welcome to send a replace-

ment but that person must

be prepared to play by therules. Our resolve should

not be further tested.

Since winning indepen-

dence 20 years ago follow-

ing a war with Ethiopia,

Eritrea has fomented insta-

bility in the region by sup-

plying weapons, training

and cash to several armed

groups. As a result, in 2009

the UN imposed sanctions

on Eritrea.

most repressive and im-

poverished. It has failed

to develop a formal econ-

omy and is dependent on

diaspora taxes imposedon the large number of ex-

patriates who have ed the

country.

The taxes are collected at

embassies and consulates

around the world, includ-

ing until recently in Toron-

to. The UN reported that

threats, harassment and

intimidation against the in-

dividual concerned or rela-

tives in Eritrea were usedto extract tax payments.

From page 23

Canada expels Eritrean . . .

Let me rst of all start by

saying that Canada is the

best place to be for any new

settler or immigrant. And I

say this from experience

because I had been to two

different countries before I

came here. One of the rst

things that most new com-

ers notice about Canada is

the polite and friendly at-

titude of the people who

are always cheerful and

respectful whether when

they are giving you direc-

tions on the streets or an-swering questions in a pub-

lic ofce or simply serving

a customer in any estab-

lishment. There is a lot to

be said about the attitude

of the people in a country

when you are a new comer.

As I mentioned earlier I

had been to other countries

before I came to Canada

where the people had been

far from friendly to new

comers. It adds more anxi-

ety to a new settlers al-ready frayed nerves when

the locals look at you as if

you were an annoying in-

truder and sometimes liter-

ally bark at you for simply

asking directions. How-ever, it is not merely the

attitude of the people that

makes Canada hospitable

to new settlers, but rather

the various vital resources

you nd at your disposal to

help you settle in without

too much difculty.

For a new immigrant to be

properly settled in a new

country the two most im-

portant things one needs or

looks for in addition to the

basics is, full-time employ-

ment and opportunities to

upgrade ones education.

Having been dealing with

immigrants for sometime

now, Canada has a host of

organisations that provide

the necessary assistance to

new comers and help them

nd their way in the coun-

try. These organizations

help you write your re-

sumes in a way that wouldmake sense to a Canadian

employer and show you

how to go about looking

for a job. They also set up

mock interviews to school

you on how to conductyourself during a job inter-

view for if and when you

succeed in landing an inter-

view. But even as members

of such organisations teach

you on how to apply for a

job and which sites to visit

to search for employment,

they clearly point out that

75% of jobs in the country

are secured through con-

tacts and networking. It is

pretty daunting to learn,

as a new comer with lim-

ited contacts, that you have

only 25% chance of nding

employment from job ads.

Any new immigrant from a

third world country like me

would tell you that most of

us come with an image that

jobs grow like weed in the

western world. One only

has to make his/her way

to North America and all

will be peaches and roses

from then on. No one tellsyou about the difference

between minimum wage

jobs and professional jobs

or about taxes or about the

constant bills that come

like clock work. And notin a million years would I

have imagined that search-

ing for a job would actually

be my full-time job during

the rst three months of

my time in Toronto.

Although I was too frus-

trated for any philosophi-

cal reection then, looking

at it from the perspective

of an employed person

now, I can say that it was

during my relentless job

search days that I really

got to know my new city

and country. I had been to

so many interviews and job

trials during which I met

with all kinds of people

who have taught me lessons

that I never knew I needed.

From the environment-

friendly company selling

household appliances, I

learned that not all cus-

tomer service job ads areto be trusted. This experi-

ence would actually make

a funny story to tell friends

someday when I eventual-

ly get over the embarrass-

ment of landing myself insuch a situation. From the

manager of a telemarket-

ing company I learned that

not everyone in Canada is

polite and accommodating

and that some can actu-

ally be downright rude and

judgemental for no appar-

ent reason. And from the

supervisor of a coffee shop,

I found out that there are

plenty of biased and dis-

criminating people in the

world even in a multi-cul-

tural city such as Toronto.

The cultural diversity of

the society is also some-

thing that came as a real

surprise to me. My imagi-

nation of the city and the

kind of people I would one

day live amongst could

not have been further off

mark. I did not know what

to make of it when on my

rst day out and about inthe city I heard Korean,

Philippines and Manda-

The Adventures Of Being A New

ImmigrantBy Rigat M

please see page 22

Documents

Meftih Newspaper June2013