Cdn-Firearms Digest Friday, January 30 2009 Volume 13 : Number 003 In this issue: re: "ba'ers" Calagary Sun - Guns and armour seized ... Harper concerned about U.S. protectionism regarding: Many in the RFC are leading the exodus Re: Cdn-Firearms Digest V13 #2 Are you with Obama or Rush? *NFR* "Privacy Commissioner's Column: Hold on to your data if you..." "New `Polytechnique' film explores 1989... massacre" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:47:59 -0800 From: "Todd Birch" Subject: re: "ba'ers" Smackin a bruin wid a club is one thing, but them deers got horns 'n hooves! An' they's mean! Fer them ya need a Sharps 50-70. Ya can never have enough gun fer the job. If'n ya can handle it. TB ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:09:14 -0800 (PST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Calagary Sun - Guns and armour seized ... http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2009/01/29/8195041.html Guns and armour seized as cops nab alleged drug dealers By DAVE DORMER, Sun Media UPDATED: 2009-01-29 16:55:16 MST Police arrested four people two of them known gang associates following a five-week investigation of a suspected cocaine manufacturing operation. Cops made the busts on Wednesday following a five-week sting aimed at disru pting the ongoing deadly gang wars in the city, most notably between member s of Fresh Off The Boat and Fresh Off The Boat Killers. Calgary Police Service members raided two houses during the operation, one in the 100 block of Hidden Ranch Cl. N.W. and the other in the 1700 block o f 47 St. S.E., where they found 1.8 kg of cocaine valued at $183,620, two l oaded handguns, body armour, a collapsable baton, a machete and 10 grams of ecstacy with a street value of $760. Lisa Nyguyen, 25, Eric Thomas Tse, 24, Ryan Park Hung Li, 26 and Stefan Lee , 28, now face various charges for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, production of cocaine and possession of ecstacy for the purpo se of trafficking, along with several firearms and weapons-related charges. Police would not say which two of the four are known gang associates or whi ch gang they are connected to. How much of a dent the arrests will make in the gangs operations r emains to be seen, said Insp. Ray Robitaille. "Each effort helps and one thing we will not do is stop," he said, standing behind a table displaying the seized items. "If you choose to do violence on the streets of Calgary, we will come after you." Both houses were being used as drug labs to turn powdered cocaine into crack cocaine. "Unfortunately, without getting into the details, it's not that com plex of an operation," said Robitaille. "Crack cocaine, there's a high demand for it and there's also some other profit reasons why they would move that way." Organized crime Staff Sgt. Gord Eiriksson said the group was targeted by po lice. "I think it would be safe to say the houses and at least some of the people involved in this were specifically targeted by the special duties team," he said. "We've got two guns off the street with ammunition." dave.dormer@sunmedia.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:07:57 -0500 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Harper concerned about U.S. protectionism PM has 'grave concerns' about U.S. protectionism January 29, 2009; Kristine Owram; The Canadian Press > http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/579315 OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says a protectionist bill that could hurt U.S. imports of Canadian steel goes against the spirit of free trade and the United States shouldn't forget its ``international obligations" to liberalize global commerce. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff had asked what the government was ready to say about the controversial "buy American" clause when U.S. President Barack Obama visits Canada on Feb. 19. [This decision looks more bone-headed by the day]. Canada military awards truck contract to Navistar Fri Jan 9, 2009 > http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUKN0929614120090109 OTTAWA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Canadian military will buy 1,300 militarized trucks from Navistar International (NAV.N) unit Navistar Defence LLC for C$274 million ($230 million), Defence Minister Peter MacKay said on Friday. He said in a statement the off-the-shelf vehicles will be the logistics backbone of the army. The trucks will be delivered by the company over an 18-month period starting this summer. - ---------------------------------------- CAW angry Forces buying trucks from Navistar in U.S By THE CANADIAN PRESS > http://www.lfpress.ca/newsstand/Business/2009/01/14/pf-8018396.html TORONTO — The Canadian Auto Workers is criticizing Ottawa for awarding a $254 million contract to a U.S. company to build trucks for the Canadian Forces at its plant in Texas while it is laying off workers at its plant in Ontario. Senior CAW executive Bob Chernecki said Tuesday that someone has to explain why Canadian workers can’t build trucks for the Canadian military. The Defence Department has signed a contract with Navistar International Corp. to build 1,300 medium-duty trucks. Navistar sent out 500 layoff notices to its Chatham workforce last week, with another 200 expected in the spring. Chernecki said that would leave only 200 workers and the plant’s survival is at stake. Navistar spokesman Ray Wiley said the trucks couldn’t be built in Chatham. "The Chatham plant builds heavy-duty trucks; these are much smaller trucks . . . that wouldn’t fit on the assembly line," he said from Warrenville, Ill. Chernecki said the members at the plant are furious. "At the plant this morning, our guys were just dumbfounded; they’re mad as hell," he said. "In the face of (layoffs) over the next few months, there is no legitimate credible reason" for Ottawa’s decision. "Doesn’t the government know there’s a manufacturing crisis in Canada?" he asked. CAW officials plan to ask Navistar executives on Wednesday to switch the order from Garland, Tex., to Canada. *********** Asked Tuesday why the contract couldn’t have stipulated the trucks be built in Canada, a spokesperson for Defence Minister Peter MacKay referred the Canadian Press to the Public Works Department. "Minister MacKay’s role is to outline what equipment and platforms are needed by the Canadian Forces," the defence department official said in an e-mail. "After identifying the need, Public Works follows a competitive procurement process." But the Public Works Department referred the question to Industry Canada and, in the end, there appeared to be no answer. *********** [Open and Accountable]? CAW president Ken Lewenza sent a letter to MacKay, asking him to "provide the necessary leadership to invest in Canada by having these vehicles built in Canada." Chernecki said the 1,300 military trucks, which are to replace a fleet that dates from the 1980s, ***could be built with "very little or no adjustment in Chatham," or at another of the truck plants in Canada*** under threat of closing due to the manufacturing meltdown. They include Freightliner in St. Thomas and Paccar in Ste. Therese, Que. [I'd bet gun owning former NDP supporters who jumped on the CPC bandwagon are mighty ticked off]. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:13:43 -0600 From: Joe Gingrich Subject: regarding: Many in the RFC are leading the exodus Some of the budget's biggest critics: Tories > http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090129.wtories30/BNStory/politics/home BRIAN LAGHI AND STEVEN CHASE; Globe and Mail; January 29, 2009 "I don't think there will be very profound grumbling from the conservative wing," said Roger Gibbins of the Canada West Foundation. "For every person who says that Harper is abandoning his principles, there will be five who will say, 'Well, principles will only take you so far and you have to be able to have enough flexibility to adapt to the times.'" What's more, he added, most party members have no other place to go. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What's more, he added, most party members have no other place to go." They've even developed the arrogance of the Lieberal's. Send money! Yes??? Yours in Tyranny, Joe Gingrich White Fox ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:55:14 -0400 From: "Al Muir" Subject: Re: Cdn-Firearms Digest V13 #2 > Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:29:29 -0500 > From: Lee Jasper > Subject: Many in the RFC are leading the exodus > > Some of the budget's biggest critics: Tories > >> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090129.wtories30/BNStory/politics/home > > BRIAN LAGHI AND STEVEN CHASE; Globe and Mail; January 29, 2009 > > OTTAWA - His biggest threat is supposed to be new Liberal Leader Michael > Ignatieff, but the sharpest fire being directed at Stephen Harper these > days is coming from the rock-ribbed Conservatives that comprise the base > of the party he leads. > > The criticism has come from several quarters, including Tom Flanagan, > Mr. Harper's close friend and former top aide, and the cadre of young > activists who make up a good portion of the party's shock troops. Even > one of the country's most affable senior Conservatives, former human > resources minister Monte Solberg, has issued warnings. > > They're unsettled over a federal stimulus budget that includes a > $64-billion deficit over the next two years and five years of projected > red ink. We have a recession that was caused by an over extention of credit resulting in unsustainable debt loads and the solution is to saddle us with more debt. Must be something about chess I do not understand. > > "There's a lot of feeling of betrayal. We don't need a second Liberal > Party," said Tasha Kheiriddin, who teaches conservative politics at > McGill University. We might not need it but we have it. > > "It is extremely frustrating, as a small-c conservative, to look at this." > > Ms. Kheiriddin, co-author of Rescuing Canada's Right: Blueprint for a > Conservative Revolution, said the party's base may decide to stay home > in the next election, Were some of us ahead of the curve? particularly if the package does not work. "It > flies in the face of all the principles Mr. Harper personally held for a > number of years, as well as what the movement was hoping this government > would achieve." > > Other key Conservatives agreed. > > "This is survival without any sense of direction," said Mr. Flanagan, a > former Conservative campaign chief. > > Mr. Flanagan said the budget may cause a number of party members to > curtail donations. > > "I think it's absolutely essential for the party to keep its core > supporters onside, Where have I heard that before? and there wasn't that much in this budget that really > speaks to those core supporters," he said. > > He cited as an example the drop-off in contributions in 2000 for the > Canadian Alliance, a forerunner of the Conservative Party, when it began > to have troubles under leader Stockwell Day. > > "All these 100,000-plus donors are writing their little cheques because > they believe in a cause and - I don't know what's going to happen - but > when Stockwell Day got into trouble that was the first really big sign. > The money stopped coming in." [Might explain why Party fund raising has > been highly aggressive of late]. > > Mr. Flanagan said Mr. Harper must find low-cost ways over the next few > months to animate the troops. > > Meanwhile, Mr. Solberg said in an interview that while he believes the > budget is popular, he is concerned that it could lead to long-term > deficits. In an earlier newspaper column, Mr. Solberg advised Mr. Harper > to use the time he has bought to draft a compelling conservative vision > for the future. That is the advice some of us have been giving him for some time. Maybe if a few more of us wake up he might listen to the advice. > > "The Conservatives have easily escaped to fight another day, but what > are they fighting for?" he asked. > > Gerry Nicholls, a former colleague of Mr. Harper's at the right-wing > National Citizens' Coalition, said he thinks the Prime Minister has lost > his way. > > "The Conservative party is conservative in name only. It makes me yearn > for the days when we had a relatively fiscally conservative leader like > Jean Chrétien," Mr. Nicholls said, referring to the former Liberal prime > minister's victory in slaying the deficit in the mid-1990s and paying > down federal debt. [Isn't that an indictment]? > > Others, however, argued that most members of the party's rank-and-file > will realize that while there is doubt about the package, the government > wasn't in a position to run counter to the stimulative moves of other > countries. [But for cutting the GST, business tax cuts and spending the > surplus, the deficit would have been less than half]. > > "I don't think there will be very profound grumbling from the > conservative wing," said Roger Gibbins of the Canada West Foundation. > "For every person who says that Harper is abandoning his principles, > there will be five who will say, 'Well, principles will only take you so > far and you have to be able to have enough flexibility to adapt to the > times.'" What's more, he added, most party members have no other place > to go. [That's exactly the kind of miscalculation other leaders have > made]. I can think of a few places depending on the time of year. For example if there is a summer election going for a swim might be in order or if it is not to hot I could spend the day in my flower gardens. There really are a lot of other places to go if the other two places are the same and you do not want to go there. > > [I've said this before, start making inroads with the competition - > after the fact, will be too late]. To little will be to late also. Al ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:20:17 -0600 From: Joe Gingrich Subject: Are you with Obama or Rush? *NFR* http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18194.html POLITICO Are you with Obama or Rush? By JONATHAN MARTIN | 1/29/09 8:00 PM EST Updated: 1/30/09 9:47 AM EST President Obama and a key outside ally are stepping up efforts to ensure passage of the massive economic stimulus package, reaching out to Congress with both carrots and sticks. While the president and his top aides are using all the trappings of the office, courting members through phone calls, cocktail parties, West Wing sit-downs and even a politically mixed Super Bowl party, liberal groups are dispensing with the niceties and seeking to drive a wedge between Republicans and one of the right's most influential leaders. Politico has learned that tomorrow Americans United for Change, a liberal group, will begin airing radio ads in three states Obama won - Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada - with a tough question aimed at the GOP senators there: Will you side with Obama or Rush Limbaugh? "Every Republican member of the House chose to take Rush Limbaugh's advice," says the narrator after playing the conservative talk radio giant's declaration that he hopes Obama "fails." "Every Republican voted with Limbaugh - and against creating 4 million new American jobs. We can understand why a extreme partisan like Rush Limbaugh wants President Obama's Jobs program to fail - but the members of Congress elected to represent the citizens in their districts? That's another matter. Now the Obama plan goes to the Senate, and the question is: Will our Senator"-here the ad is tailored by state to name George Voinovich in Ohio, Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, and John Ensign in Nevada-"side with Rush Limbaugh too?" Asked to respond, Limbaugh had a message for his party. "Senate Republicans need to understand this is not about me," he wrote in an email. "It is about them, about intimidating them, especially after the show of unity in House. It is about the 2010 and 2012 elections. This is an opportunity for Republicans to redefine themselves after a few years of wandering aimlessly looking for a 'brand' and identity." Brad Woodhouse, the Democratic strategist who is overseeing the ad campaign, said: "The House Republicans put their Senate colleagues in the crosshairs because they decided to play politics rather than do the right thing." The radio buy comes on the heels of TV campaign by Americans United for Change and other liberal groups that began Thursday and targets GOP senators in Maine, New Hampshire, Alaska and Iowa, and another by the Laborers Union aimed at Senators in Iowa, Kentucky, Nevada and Tennessee; both designed to rally support for the stimulus package. As their allies take to the airwaves, Obama and his top aides are conducting their own internal inside-outside lobbying effort. The president devoted hours to closed-door meetings with House and Senate Republicans Tuesday, had leaders of both parties over to the White House for cocktails on Wednesday and hosted yet more members of Congress for a bill-signing in the East Room Thursday. All the while, he's been dialing individual members on the phone and his top aides, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and National Economic Council chief Larry Summers, are conducting what one Senate Democratic leadership aide described as near-constant diplomacy on the Hill via both phone calls and personal meetings. A few chosen members of Congress of both parties will receive the ultimate in White House wooing this weekend when they join Obama Sunday night in the residence to watch the Super Bowl. The list is an ideologically diverse one. Politico has learned it will include, among other opposites, conservative Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) and liberal Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). More publicly, Obama is making his case for the bill through a series of events that this week included a high-profile White House meeting and speech before a group of the nation's top CEOs. Friday, Obama along with Vice President Joe Biden will deliver remarks sure to touch on the economy at an East Room event focused on middle class and working families. From the briefing room podium, press secretary Robert Gibbs has been underscoring the need for the stimulus with a series of sobering statistics. Wednesday it was some state unemployment rates and Thursday he noted that more Americans are on unemployment since records began being kept in 1967. Friday, he'll surely turn to what is expected to be a dismal economic growth report from the quarter of 2008. Senate Republicans acknowledge that they'll lose some of their members on the first vote. "We're in a little different spot than the House in that we have a handful of Republicans who have all but committed to supporting the package," said a Senate GOP aide. The aide declined to say who, but speculation on both sides of the aisle is centered on a group of northeasterners -- Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Sen. Judd Gregg (NH) and Specter. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, January 30, 2009 9:36 am From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 2" Subject: "Privacy Commissioner's Column: Hold on to your data if you..." Subject: "Privacy Commissioner's Column: Hold on to your data if you want to maintain your privacy" PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun DATE: 2009.01.30 EDITION: Final SECTION: Issues & Ideas PAGE: A9 ILLUSTRATION: Photo: Glenn Baglo, Vancouver Sun files / The Internet has made it easy for companies to collect data on their customers, but it has also made it easy for criminals to do the same. BYLINE: Jennifer Stoddart SOURCE: Special to the Sun WORD COUNT: 615 - -------------------------------------------------------- Hold on to your data if you want to maintain your privacy - -------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, Jan. 28, was Data Privacy Day, marked by nations in North America and Europe. I will concede that this occasion may not immediately rank high on any list for most people. In fact, it's probably safe to say that the vast majority of people went about their day completely unaware of its existence. However, most people will also go about their day oblivious to the fact that they are leaving an extensive trail of data behind them for others to collect, merge, analyze, massage and even sell, often without their knowledge or consent. Furthermore, millions of people will send sensitive personal information over the Internet, thousands will likely be affected by a data breach, and hundreds will probably fall victim to identity theft. So why should you care about Data Privacy Day? Because privacy matters. Privacy is often viewed as a fundamental human right and, arguably, the foundation for many other essential freedoms, such as freedom of speech. Privacy is not just an individual right -- it is a public good that reflects how we want to live as a society. And it is increasingly under siege. These days, the list of pressures on our privacy is long and varied but, unquestionably, the rapid advance of technology is having the most profound impact on both our rights and our notions of privacy. Consider the Internet. It has revolutionized our lives -- and we have only begun to realize its potential. However, the features that make the Internet so attractive -- openness, anonymity and global reach -- also increase the risks. Every day, we see headlines about sophisticated phishing attacks, enormous data breaches, in both the public and private sectors, and the proliferation of identity theft. It is no coincidence that as businesses began to recognize the immense potential of personal data to their bottom line, so too did criminals. They now know that they can make a lot of money by stealing names, birthdates, credit cards and other personal information. People need to feel secure when they go online. They need to know their personal information will be protected and that their privacy will be respected. But there is no simple solution. Governments at all levels and around the globe need to do more to ensure that they address the concerns citizens have about online privacy. While it is impossible to stay ahead of technology, governments need to make every attempt to stay in step with technological developments and introduce laws that inspire consumer trust. Here in Canada, the federal government did take some preliminary steps to address identity theft through legislation during the last session of Parliament, but the complexity and pervasiveness of the issue demands a more comprehensive approach. Businesses and organizations need to recognize their responsibilities in safeguarding the personal information their customers entrust to them by investing in security systems and training employees about privacy and security policies. They would also do well to think carefully before they collect information. After all, cyber thieves can't steal personal information if it hasn't been collected in the first place. As individuals, we need to be more vigilant when divulging our personal information online. Once it is out in the public domain, we can't control how it is used and we can never get it back. Our personal information is key to our identity, and for the most part, we should have the right to decide who uses it, how they use it and for what purpose. In particular, we need to educate our youth -- the first truly wired generation -- and provide them with the tools and information they need to make smart decisions about their privacy. We need to teach them to guard it -- to value it. As the privacy commissioner of Canada, I am committed to protecting and promoting the privacy rights of Canadians. But in today's wired world, this national mandate demands a co-ordinated approach. It cannot be done on a province-by-province or country-by-country basis - -- the data flows are too great; the technologies are evolving too rapidly; and the jurisdictional challenges are daunting. Data Protection Day is a day that puts privacy in the spotlight. It is a day that reminds us of the importance and prevalence of data privacy issues in our lives, while challenging us to become better guardians of our own personal information. Jennifer Stoddart is the privacy commissioner of Canada. http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Hold+your+data+want+maintain+your+privacy/1234812/story.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, January 30, 2009 10:03 am From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 2" Subject: "New `Polytechnique' film explores 1989... massacre" Subject: "New `Polytechnique' film explores 1989 Universite de Montreal massacre" NOTE: Versions of this Canadian Press article appeared in the following papers today: Brantford Expositor, Lethbridge Herald, Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal DATE: 2009.01.29 KEYWORDS: ENTERTAINMENT FILM JUSTICE POLITICS PUBLICATION: cpw WORD COUNT: 726 - ----------------------------------------------------------- New `Polytechnique' film explores 1989 Universite de Montreal massacre - ----------------------------------------------------------- MONTREAL _ Karine Vanasse's eyes dart slightly and there's a sudden catch in her upbeat voice when she recalls one particular scene in her new movie ``Polytechnique,'' based on the Montreal Massacre nearly 20 years ago. In it, the killer had entered a classroom at the Ecole polytechnique engineering school on Dec. 6, 1989, and herded the women into a corner, berating them before raising his rifle. ``This scene, for all the actresses who were there, was really difficult because you could imagine how it was,'' she said, describing it as feeling like ``mice in a trap.'' ``I mean, it was a film,'' said the actress, who plays one of the students. ``We had all the equipment around us so we knew it wasn't real. But still, it's so violent that the emotional impact that you receive is strong.'' The movie is a fictionalized version of the rampage where gunman Marc Lepine killed 14 female engineering students at the Universite de Montreal and wounded a number of other women and men. Lepine blamed feminists for ruining his life. The killings sparked debates about gun control and led to the creation of the federal gun registry. They also raised questions about the equality between women and men. Lepine _ who is never named in the movie _ is played by Maxim Gaudette, who probably has the fewest lines of the movie's sparse dialogue but gives a chilling performance. Eyes fixed and determined, he moves trancelike through the film and looks utterly soulless as he carries out his blood-soaked mission. Little dialogue was fine with Gaudette. ``I like those kind of characters,'' he said. ``You have to say something with your eyes, your body movements, it's a question of rhythm too. You can feel the character only by his emotions.'' Gaudette acknowledged he wasn't sure at first he was going to do the film because the subject matter was so well known. In the end, it was a tough but rewarding job. ``I'm proud of the movie,'' he said. ``Polytechnique'' opens in French and English in Quebec on Feb. 6 and then goes into wide release in Canada later on. Private screenings have already been held for the families of the victims, some students from the time and Lepine's mother. Sylvie Haviernick, whose sister Maud was killed in the massacre, is reserving comment on the movie until its official release but she didn't oppose it being made. ``I don't think you can stop someone from creating a work on a specific topic,'' she said. ``This is certainly a film that people have been waiting for and it's good that it's been made.'' She said it's not a question of there being a good or bad time for such a film. ``If people feel confident dealing with an issue as major as the Polytechnique tragedy, then it's not the number of years that have passed but how they address the issue.'' Vanasse, who was six at the time of Canada's worst mass shooting, felt it was necessary to revisit the event. While those around at the time vividly remember the killings, ``my generation and the younger ones _ we don't really know (about it),'' said the 26-year-old star and producer. ``It had such a big impact on our society that we have to know why.'' She approached director Denis Villeneuve, who has delivered an unflinching but compelling film that successfully manages to tell its story without venturing into the maudlin or sensational as similar movies based on true events have sometimes done. ``It was quite difficult to do this movie,'' says Villeneuve, noting the filmmakers wanted to be respectful of the victims and their families. ``It was quite a responsibility and we did work very, very hard. It was taken very, very seriously. It gave me a lot of nightmares, actually.'' But Villeneuve said he didn't want to make a film that was a portrait of the killer _ ``cinema is full of killers. We have seen them all the time.'' While the issues and motives are explored, Vanasse said ``Polytechnique'' is about ``how people felt and what they had to deal with.'' That includes male students, embodied by actor Sebastien Huberdeau's character who is consumed by guilt because he couldn't do more to stop the carnage or save one wounded woman he finds. ``He represents the feeling of helplessness that some people, some men, felt, who felt they didn't do enough,'' said the actor. ``He's also a victim.'' Vanasse agreed. ``We cannot judge them for what they have done because they didn't know what was going on,'' Vanasse said. ``They didn't even know that the killer was only trying to kill the women.'' In an usual twist, the film is in black and white, which adds to its period look. It also enabled filmmakers to do scenes that Villeneuve said would have been ``unbearable'' in colour. ``Black and white gives you a poetic distance with reality,'' Villeneuve explained. ``I wanted the audience to feel compasion, to feel the emotions that the characters are going through, not be repulsed by the violence and the blood.'' http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1411587 http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/content/view/27479/33/ - ---------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLICATION: National Post DATE: 2009.01.29 EDITION: National SECTION: News PAGE: A3 COLUMN: Graeme Hamilton ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo: Marcos Townsend, Canwest News Service /Christine Carretta, whose sister Cathy was one of the victims of the Ecole Polytechnique shooting, attends a 2001 vigil for the slain. A new feature film based on the Dec. 6, 1989 massacre is set to be released in theatres across Quebec next week. ; DATELINE: MONTREAL BYLINE: Graeme Hamilton SOURCE: National Post WORD COUNT: 865 - ----------------------------------------------------------- 'Too many memories'; A new feature film based on the Montreal massacre opens old wounds - ----------------------------------------------------------- The movie trailer playing in Quebec theatres is gripping, showing a young man with a rifle stalking the halls of a school before herding a bunch of terrified female students into the corner of a classroom. What is lacking is suspense, because, sadly, everyone in the province knows how the story ends. Next week, in this 20th anniversary year of the shootings at Universite de Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique, a feature film based on the Dec. 6, 1989, massacre, opens in theatres across Quebec. Polytechnique is the work of award-winning director Denis Villeneuve and stars the respected actress Karine Vanasse, but their solid reputations have not been enough to keep the film from stirring a major controversy. The emotional wounds left by Marc Lepine's anti-feminist rampage, which left 14 women dead, are so deep that some are saying even 20 years is not long enough to wait before bringing the story to the screen. Yesterday, Montreal's La Presse asked on its front page the question, "Polytechnique ... To see it or not?" Inside, two of the paper's columnists offered opposing views. Yves Boisvert said the front-page photo in The Gazette the morning after the shootings, showing a victim slumped in a chair while a police officer took down a Merry Christmas banner, remains burned in his memory. "I think of it and I shiver. I think of it and I'm nauseous. And you ask me if I want to go see the film?" He doubts that anything in the film will give him a better understanding of what drove Lepine to his act of madness. Nathalie Petrowski, for her part, said she has defended the film's right to exist since the project was first announced four years ago, and she left a press screening Monday shaken but all the more convinced that the story needs to be told. "This film should be seen because it is dedicated to the loving memory of 14 women who died in their prime and who deserve that we mourn them, that we honour them and that we suffer with them for a little more than an hour in the cinema." The film's producers knew Polytechnique would cause distress in Quebec and in the rest of Canada, where an English version is slated to be released later this year. "It is not at all surprising to me that something about the Montreal massacre is inevitably going to evoke strong feelings in the audience," said Mark Slone, senior vice-president of Alliance Films, the distributor. In an interview last year with the National Post's Chris Knight, Mr. Villeneuve said he owed no apologies for taking on the subject. "A lot of cinema today is done to please the people," said the director, whose last feature film was 2000's Maelstrom. He added that cinema also has a duty to reflect reality. "I've met students who've been through the events and I was really inspired by their stories.... We are ready to see a movie that embraces the point of view of the victims." Polytechnique is not the first movie to tackle a real-life tragedy still fresh in the collective memory. The American director Gus Van Sant won praise for his 2003 film Elephant, based on the Columbine school shootings, but one prominent critic called it exploitative. In Canada, the 1996 TV movie Giant Mine, based on the 1992 labour dispute that led to a fatal bombing, opened wounds in Yellowknife. The city mobilized counsellors and advertised a crisis line in advance of the movie's broadcast. In the run-up to Polytechnique's Quebec release on Feb. 6, the producers have held private screenings for those directly affected by the massacre, including Lepine's mother and family members of the victims. Sylvie Haviernick, whose sister Maud was one of the engineering students murdered by Lepine, said families have not opposed the making of the film but they are divided about actually seeing it. She decided it was important to go. "I think that a film, a book, a painting, a photograph or a monument, they are all memorials in the end, they help people to remember," she said in an interview yesterday. "True, a film is more powerful because it can be seen by a lot more people than other media." Ms. Haviernick said the film was hard to watch but not at all sensationalist. "I am surprised to see that everywhere in the country there is so much interest in the release of the film. It proves that this remains something that is still not resolved, and not only just for Quebecers but for all Canadians." The university has decided not to comment on the film's release, but in 2005 when the project was announced a spokeswoman called it insensitive to the hundreds of employees who remain marked by the events of 1989. "We experience Dec. 6 every year, and it is a very fragile subject within our walls," she said. Commenting on a La Presse blog, one current Polytechnique student said just seeing the film's trailer has been painful. "Imagine watching a film about a slaughter that took place in your daily workplace," the student wrote. "I won't go see the film," wrote another commenter, who had classes in another part of the Universite de Montreal the night of the massacre. "Too many memories." ghamilton@nationalpost.com http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1230628 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V13 #3 ********************************* Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:drg.jordan@sasktel.net List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)