On Thursday, remember the plight of the world's most oppressed...

...it's the second annual North Korea Freedom Day.

On the Liberal-NDP New Deal

I will reserve my disdain for the Martin-Layton New Deal, as much of my sentiments have already been articulated elsewhere.

However, I will say that Layton likely comes out of this debacle the big winner. While his party has a massive credibility gap to overcome (remember the televised remarks last week when he argued that the Grits' conduct in the sponsorship scandal may have been "criminal"?), he has established his merry band of socialists as a parliamentary force despite not holding the balance of power and despite claiming policy victories that won't even be implemented because of the impending failure of this budget.

Now the NDP, withering in the winds of parliamentary obscurity a mere fortnight ago, stands to gain a number of seats from the Liberals as they've become players when they had no right to be.

And Martin? He should thank Jean Chretien for the ban on corporate donations to political parties, because public subsidies are the only way to fund a party that, with its New Deal, has declared war on the same Bay St. that once revered the Prime Minister as the Golden Boy of Canadian politics.

Martin Crisis Speech Fallout: An International Perspective

Most loyal PLVQ readers will have likely reviewed Canadian punditry on the Prime Minister's desperation tactic of addressing the nation on the Sponsorship Scandal this evening.

For a treat, then, PLVQ provides some of the more poignant (and disturbing) headlines and news stories about tonight's speech from the international media.

These are just lovely:

ABC: CANADIAN LEADER APOLOGIZES FOR CORRUPTION
Canadian Leader Apologizes for Corruption Scandal in Speech Aimed at Rescuing Government

Prime Minister Paul Martin apologized to the nation Thursday night for a corruption scandal that has shaken his Liberal Party.

Scotsman: PM APOLOGISES FOR CORRUPTION SCANDAL

Embattled Canadian prime minister Paul Martin made a rare, nationally televised address early today to apologise for a corruption scandal within his Liberal Party, calling it an “unjustifiable mess”.

Reuters: CANADA'S PM PROMISES EARLY ELECTION OVER SCANDAL

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, grappling with the Liberal government's worst crisis in a decade, promised on Thursday to call an election early next year once a probe into a cash-for-favor scandal is over.

CTV: "Brault said there was $1 million in kickbacks to the Liberal Party of Canada."

Wow.

GOMERY LIFTS PUBLICATION BAN: "It is in the public interest that this evidence with few exceptions be made available to the public..."

From the Globe:

Mr. Justice John Gomery has partially removed a ban on the volatile testimony from ad executive Jean Brault at the sponsorship inquiry.

However, the judge overseeing the sponsorship probe ruled Thursday that certain aspects of testimony provided by ad executive Jean Brault to the sponsorship inquiry can not be reported by the media.

"It is in the public interest that this evidence with few exceptions be made available to the public remembering that publication bans are a violation of constitutional rights and are to be imposed rarely, particularly in the context of a public inquiry," Judge Gomery said.

Both the Liberals and the opposition parties have been waiting in tense anticipation for the judge's decision.

The opposition believes that some information contained in Mr. Brault's testimony could be extremely harmful to the Liberals if it is made public.

It could also prompt them to call for a vote of non-confidence in the government and bring it down, triggering an election.

Mr. Brault is the former owner of Groupaction. Groupaction is one of the advertising firms at the heart of the sponsorship probe. The Gomery probe is looking into how $100-million of the Liberal government's $250-million sponsorship program went to Liberal-friendly agencies that did little or no work for the money.

Union Steps Closer to Collectivising Sask. Wal-Mart?

The latest on attempts to unionise Canadian Wal-Marts, from the Globe and Mail.

I haven't read the judgement of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in this case, nor am I familiar with the provisions of the relevant labour legislation in that province, but opening up access to internal company documents for the inspection of a union *which doesn't even yet represent any employees at that store* seems slightly disturbing.

Gomery to Lift Publication Ban by Wednesday?

...the CBC thinks so.

Remember Crazy David Ahenakew?

...well, his criminal trial for "promoting hatred against an identifiable group" begins today.

This is the man notable for his comments two years ago praising Hitler while raising the old canard that "the Jews" were preparing to "take over Europe".

Despite this man's despicable views, his thoughts and views should not be criminalised. The shame that he brought upon himself, and the loss of stature in his community, is far more punitive than the impersonal state sanction he would receive if found guilty.

So, the debate of the month: Should provisions exist in the Criminal Code which prohibit the promotion of "hate"?

Opposition sweeps majority in free and fair Zimbabwe election*

(*a cruel April Fool's joke)

As PLVQ so deftly predicted, the ruling ZANU-PF, led by Zimbabwe's illegitimate President Robert Mugabe, swept yesterday's parliamentary elections (despite our endorsement of the Movement for Democratic Change).

I will refrain from engaging in a bitter, vitriolic rant about these results (note that Mugabe's nephew won his seat when 10,000 voters *magically* appeared), but will bitterly and vitriolically condemn Canada for barely whimpering about the disgrace that this election was.

While I appreciate that Canada has zero stature in the international community, it still does not give our Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister the liberty to stand silent on the economic and political repression of so many. Paul Martin and Pierre Pettigrew should once again be ashamed of themselves.

Pontifex in Extremis

It appears that one of the most enduring papacies in the two-millennium history of the Roman Catholic Church may soon draw to a close, with reports of the Pope's constantly deteriorating health and his receipt of last rites.

Papal succession upon John Paul II's death will mark a turning point for the church: will his successor continue with the socially conservative moral perspective predominating church teachings over the last quarter-century, or will the new Pope liberalise and reform the church? The latter may increase its stature among Westerners moving away from the church, but could potentially alienate persons in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, where Catholicism continues to expand.

Intriguing questions for arguably the world's most powerful and influential institution.