Well folks, here is another debate where the French tell the rest of Canada to go pound salt! (I have included the entire article here so you can see the crap being thrown around in all its glory!)
The Canadian Press
Pauline Marois came out kicking in defence of the Quebec Soccer Federation’s refusal to let turban-wearing kids play the sport, a position that has lobbed the controversial debate into the province’s political arena.
The Canadian Soccer Association suspended the provincial association on Monday after the Quebec body showed no sign of overturning its decision to uphold a ban on Sikh religious headwear on the pitch.
It says the suspension will remain in place until the Quebec organization lifts its restriction on turbans, patkas and keskis in organized soccer.
The Quebec premier took issue Tuesday with the CSA move and called it “unacceptable” for the national organization to punish her province’s soccer federation.
The suspension prompted Marois, and several other Quebec politicians, to make their first public remarks on a contentious dispute that has made international headlines. Virtually all lawmakers in the Quebec legislature had avoided the politically thorny topic, but the federal-provincial jurisdictional crossover had several of them talking Tuesday at the national assembly.
“I believe the Quebec federation has the right to make its own rules, it’s autonomous, it’s not bound by the Canadian federation,” Marois, leader of the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois, said in Quebec City.
“In this regard, I support it in its orientations.”
The CSA, however, reports directly to the FIFA world soccer governing body and is responsible for granting or revoking the membership of provincial federations.
Prominent PQ cabinet minister Bernard Drainville stuck to his party’s stance despite the soccer hierarchy.
“It is not up to the Canadian association to decide what is going on Quebec soccer fields — this power belongs to the Quebec Soccer Federation,” Drainville told reporters.
“So, the Canadian association should respect the autonomy of the Quebec Soccer Federation to make its own rules on Quebec soccer fields. This is the principle we are defending and we do not understand why the Canadian association is interfering with this right that the Quebec Soccer Federation has.”
The Quebec body, which did not immediately return calls about the suspension, met late Tuesday to discuss the matter.
A source told The Canadian Press a decision was made after the meeting and that it would be made public in 10 days.
In the meanwhile, the Quebec Soccer Federation will continue to look at the controversy.
It cites safety concerns for banning turbans and points to FIFA rules, which don’t specifically allow turbans. But critics counter that FIFA’s regulations don’t explicitly ban turbans, either.
In Ottawa, Quebec Conservative MP Maxime Bernier was asked by a reporter about Marois’ support for the Quebec federation. He said the Harper government backs the CSA and believes soccer players should be free to wear any religious symbol on the pitch, as long as it doesn’t cause a safety issue.
“So, I hope that we are more open in Quebec in this way,” said Bernier, who noted that all other provincial federations believe Sikh headwear is safe for soccer.
The national soccer organization said last week it expected the Quebec association to reverse the ban, which has drawn condemnation from several federal politicians. Quebec is the only province that has balked at the directive to allow turbans on the pitch.
It’s unclear how the sanction might affect Quebec’s soccer players. A spokeswoman for the Canadian Soccer Association said Tuesday she did not have specific details on the suspension.
The impact, however, could be felt in a variety of ways unless the situation is resolved soon, according to Canadian Soccer News.
Its website said the suspension could prevent Quebec all-star teams from playing outside the province, and even result in games within Quebec being cancelled if they involve a nationally certified referee.
If the suspension lasts long enough, Quebec teams could also be blocked from participating in national championships, the publication said.
Quebec is set to host the upcoming Canada Games in the city of Sherbrooke and there are fears the suspension could keep some of the province’s athletes from competing in the August event.
“I know that there are young people who are among the best and dream of going (to the Canada Games),” Quebec Sports Minister Marie Malavoy said Tuesday.
“And I really hope that the Canadian (Soccer) Association leaves us alone and lets us make our own decisions because it’s the youth who risk suffering in the very short term.”
The technical director of a top Quebec amateur club said the suspension could cancel a match scheduled for later this month between his senior men’s team, Royal-Select Beauport, and the touring Haitian national squad. Haiti is No. 63 in FIFA’s world rankings — 20 spots higher than Canada.
Samir Ghrib said if the dispute isn’t resolved before the fall, it could also prevent his team from earning a chance to defend its 2012 national title. Ghrib, who agrees with the Quebec association’s position on turbans, hopes a solution is found soon.
“Religion doesn’t have a place on sports fields,” he said. “The soccer field must remain neutral.”
The Sikh community, meanwhile, says the Quebec soccer body has put the families of 100 to 200 children in a difficult spot: abandon a religious requirement, or quit playing organized soccer. The World Sikh Organization says those children were forced out of soccer a year ago.
Quebec referees began cracking down in the last year on turbans, patkas and keskis — the religious headgear worn by Sikh men and boys.
Physicians, including former soccer coach Dr. Sanjeet Singh Saluja, have denounced the ban and insist it has no medical justification.
On Tuesday, even the president of Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact weighed in on the turban-ban debate.
Joey Saputo said in a statement that kids should not be prevented from playing soccer at the youth level just because they wear a turban, but added that he thought the CSA’s decision to suspend Quebec’s federation over the issue was “clearly exaggerated.”
He said the Quebec organization’s ban on turbans was based on a FIFA rule that is open to interpretation. Saputo added that accusations of racism against the provincial federation were uncalled for considering the context of the Quebec body’s decision.
“The Canadian Soccer Association made a recommendation and did not officially state its position to provincial federations,” said Saputo, who also urged those involved to resolve the situation.
“All parties involved must find some common ground for the good of the sport.”
Shortly after the suspension was announced Monday, some of those who opposed the ban said they welcomed the national body’s tough-love approach.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney tweeted his approval: “Good to see CDN Soccer Association take action against the Quebec Soccer Federation over its ridiculous turban ban.”
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau echoed the sentiment, tweeting that “Barring kids from playing soccer because they wear a turban is wrong. The CSA is right to suspend the .QSF.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/06/11/quebec-marois-sides-turban-ban.html?cmp=rss
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The Pickering Airport bullshit is starting all over.
Believe me, it will be interesting ………………, I was there the first time!
I grew up in Pickering.
(Matter of fact, it was scuttling this project, and stopping the Allen Expressway, that got me fed up enough to move to Vancouver. Besides that, they spelled my name wrong! It should be the Allan Expressway.)
The fact that ‘The Rouge’ is now a giant park might appease the tree huggers a bit, but we can still expect a good battle!
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Alex ‘Trebek for Mayor of Toronto?
The 72-year-old was in Toronto on Tuesday to promote his quiz show’s milestone anniversary season, debuting this fall on CHCH.
He shot down recent stories suggesting he’s planning to retire after his contract expires in 2016, but also said he doesn’t know what the future holds.
Trebek was cagey about whether he has an end date in mind, saying: “I may not last ’till 2016. But I’m enjoying myself and we’ll see.”
The dual Canadian-U.S. citizen joked that he may pursue a second career in Canadian city politics.
He took a veiled jab at the ongoing crack cocaine scandal surrounding Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who has denied reports he was videotaped using the drug.
“I have been considering going into politics but where and in what venue and at what level? Federal politics? Provincial politics?” Trebek mused in a deadpan delivery.
“Maybe municipal politics, you know…. It might be kind of fun to come back to Toronto after having left Jeopardy! and run for an office here.
If there’s one available. Wink wink.”
—————————————–
The gun debate went to new heights in one Texas town, where the owners of a gun range are letting customers take part in a target practice from inside a helicopter.
(Aren’t ya glad you live in Canada>)
——————————————–
And finally, in a bid to make ‘Perspective on Canada’ here on BlogsCanada.ca truly representative of all parts of this great country of ours, we have this dispatch from Prince Edward Island on what’s making news there!
The City of Charlottetown is cracking down on people whose sump pumps are hooked up illegally.
Many people connect their pumps to the city’s sewer line.
That means storm water can overload the pipes. The overflow ends up in the Charlottetown Harbour and creates pollution problems.
Pauline Marois came out kicking in defence of the Quebec Soccer Federation’s refusal to let turban-wearing kids play the sport, a position that has lobbed the controversial debate into the province’s political arena.
The Canadian Soccer Association suspended the provincial association on Monday after the Quebec body showed no sign of overturning its decision to uphold a ban on Sikh religious headwear on the pitch.
It says the suspension will remain in place until the Quebec organization lifts its restriction on turbans, patkas and keskis in organized soccer.
The Quebec premier took issue Tuesday with the CSA move and called it “unacceptable” for the national organization to punish her province’s soccer federation.
The suspension prompted Marois, and several other Quebec politicians, to make their first public remarks on a contentious dispute that has made international headlines. Virtually all lawmakers in the Quebec legislature had avoided the politically thorny topic, but the federal-provincial jurisdictional crossover had several of them talking Tuesday at the national assembly.
“I believe the Quebec federation has the right to make its own rules, it’s autonomous, it’s not bound by the Canadian federation,” Marois, leader of the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois, said in Quebec City.
“In this regard, I support it in its orientations.”
The CSA, however, reports directly to the FIFA world soccer governing body and is responsible for granting or revoking the membership of provincial federations.
Prominent PQ cabinet minister Bernard Drainville stuck to his party’s stance despite the soccer hierarchy.
“It is not up to the Canadian association to decide what is going on Quebec soccer fields — this power belongs to the Quebec Soccer Federation,” Drainville told reporters.
“So, the Canadian association should respect the autonomy of the Quebec Soccer Federation to make its own rules on Quebec soccer fields. This is the principle we are defending and we do not understand why the Canadian association is interfering with this right that the Quebec Soccer Federation has.”
Quebec group’s decision expected in 10 days
The Quebec body, which did not immediately return calls about the suspension, met late Tuesday to discuss the matter.A source told The Canadian Press a decision was made after the meeting and that it would be made public in 10 days.
In the meanwhile, the Quebec Soccer Federation will continue to look at the controversy.
It cites safety concerns for banning turbans and points to FIFA rules, which don’t specifically allow turbans. But critics counter that FIFA’s regulations don’t explicitly ban turbans, either.
In Ottawa, Quebec Conservative MP Maxime Bernier was asked by a reporter about Marois’ support for the Quebec federation. He said the Harper government backs the CSA and believes soccer players should be free to wear any religious symbol on the pitch, as long as it doesn’t cause a safety issue.
“So, I hope that we are more open in Quebec in this way,” said Bernier, who noted that all other provincial federations believe Sikh headwear is safe for soccer.
The national soccer organization said last week it expected the Quebec association to reverse the ban, which has drawn condemnation from several federal politicians. Quebec is the only province that has balked at the directive to allow turbans on the pitch.
It’s unclear how the sanction might affect Quebec’s soccer players. A spokeswoman for the Canadian Soccer Association said Tuesday she did not have specific details on the suspension.
‘Soccer field must remain neutral’
The impact, however, could be felt in a variety of ways unless the situation is resolved soon, according to Canadian Soccer News.Its website said the suspension could prevent Quebec all-star teams from playing outside the province, and even result in games within Quebec being cancelled if they involve a nationally certified referee.
If the suspension lasts long enough, Quebec teams could also be blocked from participating in national championships, the publication said.
Quebec is set to host the upcoming Canada Games in the city of Sherbrooke and there are fears the suspension could keep some of the province’s athletes from competing in the August event.
“I know that there are young people who are among the best and dream of going (to the Canada Games),” Quebec Sports Minister Marie Malavoy said Tuesday.
“And I really hope that the Canadian (Soccer) Association leaves us alone and lets us make our own decisions because it’s the youth who risk suffering in the very short term.”
The technical director of a top Quebec amateur club said the suspension could cancel a match scheduled for later this month between his senior men’s team, Royal-Select Beauport, and the touring Haitian national squad. Haiti is No. 63 in FIFA’s world rankings — 20 spots higher than Canada.
Samir Ghrib said if the dispute isn’t resolved before the fall, it could also prevent his team from earning a chance to defend its 2012 national title. Ghrib, who agrees with the Quebec association’s position on turbans, hopes a solution is found soon.
“Religion doesn’t have a place on sports fields,” he said. “The soccer field must remain neutral.”
100-200 kids forced out of soccer by ban
The Sikh community, meanwhile, says the Quebec soccer body has put the families of 100 to 200 children in a difficult spot: abandon a religious requirement, or quit playing organized soccer. The World Sikh Organization says those children were forced out of soccer a year ago.Quebec referees began cracking down in the last year on turbans, patkas and keskis — the religious headgear worn by Sikh men and boys.
Physicians, including former soccer coach Dr. Sanjeet Singh Saluja, have denounced the ban and insist it has no medical justification.
On Tuesday, even the president of Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact weighed in on the turban-ban debate.
Joey Saputo said in a statement that kids should not be prevented from playing soccer at the youth level just because they wear a turban, but added that he thought the CSA’s decision to suspend Quebec’s federation over the issue was “clearly exaggerated.”
He said the Quebec organization’s ban on turbans was based on a FIFA rule that is open to interpretation. Saputo added that accusations of racism against the provincial federation were uncalled for considering the context of the Quebec body’s decision.
“The Canadian Soccer Association made a recommendation and did not officially state its position to provincial federations,” said Saputo, who also urged those involved to resolve the situation.
“All parties involved must find some common ground for the good of the sport.”
Shortly after the suspension was announced Monday, some of those who opposed the ban said they welcomed the national body’s tough-love approach.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney tweeted his approval: “Good to see CDN Soccer Association take action against the Quebec Soccer Federation over its ridiculous turban ban.”
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau echoed the sentiment, tweeting that “Barring kids from playing soccer because they wear a turban is wrong. The CSA is right to suspend the .QSF.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/06/11/quebec-marois-sides-turban-ban.html?cmp=rss
—————————————————
The Pickering Airport bullshit is starting all over.
Believe me, it will be interesting ………………, I was there the first time!
I grew up in Pickering.
(Matter of fact, it was scuttling this project, and stopping the Allen Expressway, that got me fed up enough to move to Vancouver. Besides that, they spelled my name wrong! It should be the Allan Expressway.)
Plans to have planes taking off and landing at a huge new airport east of the city ran into difficulty only hours after they were announced, with local and provincial politicians complaining they hadn’t been consulted and opponents promising a new battle in the war over the Pickering lands that has been raging for more than 40 years.
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty designated land for Toronto’s third airport — to be located in Pickering and operational by 2027 — at a hastily organized press event in Claremont Tuesday alongside at least one Ontario cabinet minister who wasn’t informed of the airport plan.
“I’m here to confirm that the uncertainty ends today,” Flaherty said. “The Harper government is moving forward with a responsible and balanced plan for the development and preservation of the Pickering lands.”
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty designated land for Toronto’s third airport — to be located in Pickering and operational by 2027 — at a hastily organized press event in Claremont Tuesday alongside at least one Ontario cabinet minister who wasn’t informed of the airport plan.
“I’m here to confirm that the uncertainty ends today,” Flaherty said. “The Harper government is moving forward with a responsible and balanced plan for the development and preservation of the Pickering lands.”
—————————————-
Alex ‘Trebek for Mayor of Toronto?
The 72-year-old was in Toronto on Tuesday to promote his quiz show’s milestone anniversary season, debuting this fall on CHCH.
He shot down recent stories suggesting he’s planning to retire after his contract expires in 2016, but also said he doesn’t know what the future holds.Trebek was cagey about whether he has an end date in mind, saying: “I may not last ’till 2016. But I’m enjoying myself and we’ll see.”
Mayor Trebek
The dual Canadian-U.S. citizen joked that he may pursue a second career in Canadian city politics.He took a veiled jab at the ongoing crack cocaine scandal surrounding Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who has denied reports he was videotaped using the drug.
“I have been considering going into politics but where and in what venue and at what level? Federal politics? Provincial politics?” Trebek mused in a deadpan delivery.
“Maybe municipal politics, you know…. It might be kind of fun to come back to Toronto after having left Jeopardy! and run for an office here.
If there’s one available. Wink wink.”
—————————————–
The gun debate went to new heights in one Texas town, where the owners of a gun range are letting customers take part in a target practice from inside a helicopter.
(Aren’t ya glad you live in Canada>)
——————————————–
And finally, in a bid to make ‘Perspective on Canada’ here on BlogsCanada.ca truly representative of all parts of this great country of ours, we have this dispatch from Prince Edward Island on what’s making news there!
The City of Charlottetown is cracking down on people whose sump pumps are hooked up illegally.
Many people connect their pumps to the city’s sewer line.
That means storm water can overload the pipes. The overflow ends up in the Charlottetown Harbour and creates pollution problems.
Homes have been inspected and some residents will soon receive written notices saying what changes need to be made, said Craig Walker, city’s water and sewer utility manager.
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