New York’s All-Stars Project Presents 2010 Bridge Building Award to Canada for Haiti Response
Over 400 business and youth leaders came together last month for the All Stars Project National Gala at Lincoln Center. The evening’s theme was Out of Crisis: Helping the World’s Youth to Grow, and among the presentations that night was a special “Bridge Building Award for Leadership in Community Relations,” which was awarded to Canada, Brazil, France, Israel, and Cuba for exemplary leadership in providing aid to Haiti in the aftermath of that country’s devastating earthquake in January. John McNab (pictured back row, right center), Deputy Consul General of Canada in New York, accepted the award on behalf of Canada. In addition to the Bridge Building Award, the Gala celebrated and gave special recognition to All Stars philanthropic partners, notably hedge-fund industry leader Elliott Management Corp. and its general partner, philanthropist Paul E. Singer (who delivered the keynote address). The All Stars Project, Inc. is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting human development through the use of an innovative performance-based model.
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Panellist Valérie Amiraux, Canada Research Chair for the Study of Religious Pluralism and Ethnicity, University of Montreal.
Canadian Consulate General Co-Hosts Panel Discussion on Domestic Islamist Radicalism: Perspectives from Canada, the US, and Europe
The Consulate General of Canada partnered in March with The City University of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Center on Terrorism to present Domestic Islamist Radicalism: Perspectives from Canada, the US, and Europe, a public panel discussion exploring trends in Islamist radicalism and proposed methods for countering them. A capacity audience consisting of representatives from the academic, security and intelligence, law enforcement, and NGO fields bore witness to a lively panel discussion featuring three prominent researchers: Valérie Amiraux, Canada Research Chair for the Study of Religious Pluralism and Ethnicity, University of Montreal; Jasmin Zine, Director, Cultural Analysis and Social Theory M.A. Program, Wilfred Laurier University (Waterloo, Ontario); and David Schanzer, Associate Professor of the Practice for Public Policy and Director, Triangle Center of Terrorism and Homeland Security, Duke University. Professor Charles Strozier, Director of the Center on Terrorism, moderated the discussion, which centered on the manifestations of Islamist radicalization as highlighted in various studies on Muslim communities in the US, Europe, and Canada.
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Terry Fox during his Marathon of Hope in 1980.
The 30th Anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope
Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the start of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, Mr. Fox’s planned cross-country run of Canada in support of cancer research. For 142 days in 1980, Mr. Fox, who at the age of 18 had endured the amputation of his right leg due to bone cancer, ran 26 miles per day until on September 1, after 3,000 miles, he was forced to stop. The cancer had spread to his lungs. He died on June 28, 1981, one month shy of his 23rd birthday.
“Today marks exactly 30 years since Canadian hero Terry Fox of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, began a journey across Canada that would inspire millions of people around the world to join his quest to find a cure for cancer,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an April 12 statement. “Terry lost his battle with cancer…but the end of his life only marked the beginning of his exceptional legacy. Every year since then, his determination is remembered and honored by millions of people across Canada and around the world who participate in the Terry Fox Run. To date, over $500 million has been raised for cancer research.”
Each October, the Canadian Association of New York organizes the New York City chapter of the annual Terry Fox Run in Central Park.
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The flag of the International Organization of La Francophonie.
International Organization of La Francophonie Marks its 40th Anniversary
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement on March 19 to mark the 40th anniversary of the International Organization of La Francophonie. The organization was founded on March 20, 1970, in order to allow countries united by their use of French to promote national cultures and languages, to forge deeper scientific and technical cooperation, to emphasize education and training, and to encourage economic and social development. “La Francophonie has grown and matured to the point where today it boasts 56 participating states and governments and 14 observer countries,” said the PM in his statement. “It has expanded its activities based on common values that unite us.”
Noting that the theme of anniversary celebrations is “La diversité au service de la paix” (“diversity in the service of peace”), as well as solidarity with the Haitian people, the PM added, “At this very difficult time for Haiti, grappling as it is with the monumental challenge of rebuilding after the terrible earthquake on January 12, La Francophonie must rely on its common values to deepen our sense of solidarity and urgency.”
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Arrival in Canada of Haitian children being adopted by Canadian families in the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating January 2010 earthquake.
Balanced Reforms Planned for Canada’s Asylum System
Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, introduced legislation on March 30 that would substantially reform Canada’s asylum system. The changes, which would enhance Canada’s ability to help those truly in need by making the system faster and less open to abuse, are in response to an ever-increasing number of unfounded refugee claims and a growing backlog of approximately 60,000 claims.
“This balanced reform would both increase support for refugees in need of protection and discourage many of the unfounded asylum claims that burden our system,” said Minister Kenney. “These changes would result in faster protection for those who need our help and quicker removals of those who do not.”
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Minister of International Cooperation Beverley J. Oda.
Canada Applauds Global Effort to Improve Maternal and Child Health in Developing Countries
Minister of International Cooperation Beverley J. Oda last month commended the United Nations for its commitment to improving the health of mothers, newborns, and young children in developing countries, following an announcement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of a joint action plan for accelerating progress on maternal and newborn health. Canada is championing similar goals throughout its 2010 G8 Presidency and will put the issue front and center at the June 25 and 26 G8 Summit in Ontario’s Muskoka Region.
The UN announcement of the joint action plan coincided with the High-Level Round Table on Women and Children’s Health in New York, which Minister Oda attended. “The G8 initiative on maternal, newborn, and child health can help make a tangible difference in saving the lives of mothers and young children in developing countries and will be complementary to the efforts led here by Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon,” the Minister said.
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Canada’s “Yellow Submarine” to Speed Canada’s Mapping of the Arctic Seafloor
Canada’s “yellow submarine,” an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that will patrol Arctic waters and help define Canada’s northern borders, had its final test run early last month. Explorer, as the single-propeller smart sub is known, was lowered into the dark waters just south of Borden Island, Northwest Territories, and then descended more than 8,200 feet below the ice in preparation for a three-day, underwater journey that would take it to a drifting ice floe dotted with tents – a makeshift work station – located 480 miles due northeast. The self-navigating AUV has endured stringent testing and will be instrumental in Canada’s efforts to map the Arctic seafloor. Canada has a 2013 deadline for submitting evidence to the United Nations that supports its Arctic territorial claims. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries are only able to claim territory past the 200-nautical-mile limit for as far as the continental shelf extends unbroken. Hence the need for mapping the seafloor and, given the UN deadline, the need to design efficient means – in this case, the “yellow submarine” – of doing so. Canada’s territorial claims have been disputed by Russia and the US.
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Screen shot of Endloop Studios’ iMockups app.
Canadian “App” Earns a Spot in the iPad Pantheon
The recent release of Apple Inc.’s iPad has presented software developers with a potential new revenue stream by affording the opportunity to create applications (“apps”) specifically designed for the new device. Among Canadian developers who have scored a place in recent app history are Toronto’s Endloop Studios whose iMockups was one of a select number of iPad-specific apps available to US customers when the device was launched on April 3. iMockups is actually designed to assist developers in the process of building prototypes for new iPhone, iPad, and Web apps and has already earned positive reviews from leading tech blogs and sites such as The Huffington Post.
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