CJLO News October 25th 2010

Omar Khadr has pled guilty to war crimes charges at Guantanamo Bay Monday. This means he admits to throwing the grenade that killed a U.S. medic in Afghanistan in 2002. By pleading guilty, he is also avoiding a possible life-sentence. His plea agreement has not yet been disclosed. It is known that he will be able to transfer to a Canadian prison within one year. 

Before the plea details are released, a military jury will deliver its own verdict. The jurors will not know that a plea agreement is in place. 24 – year old Khadr was only 15 when he was taken into custody. His defence argues he was a child at the time of the killing. They say he should be treated according to international law, which provides that child soldiers be rehabilitated, not punished. He was also accused of attempted murder, supporting terrorism, conspiracy and spying. 

Written by: Erica Fisher and Sarah Fangary

Canada pledged millions of dollars in aid to French Africa. The announcement marked the end of a two-day Francophonie summit in Montreux, Switzerland.  The $40 million pledge will come from the Muskoka Initiative. The initiative established during last June’s G8 summit pledges $ 1.1 billion in maternal and child health programs. Almost 14 million dollars will go to assist female victims of violence in the Great Lakes region. The alotted chunk indirectly addresses the issue of human rights in French Africa. 

In the past the Francophonie has been reluctant in addressing the human rights problems.  Calling it a ‘delicate’ issue Harper stated that the Francophonie leadership has made progress. The next summit will be held in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The country involved in a recent civil war has one of the worst human rights records.  The Congolese president, Joseph Kabila, sees this opportunity as a time to promote human rights ideals in Congo.   

Written by: Marcin Wisniewski

Auditor General Sheila Fraser is set to release an audit of last year’s stimulus package. Prime Minister Harper and the Conservatives allocated billions of dollars to help the economy. The report will address whether the Conservatives funded projects that did not qualify for government grants. Some are hoping it will also look at whether more money was invested in ridings run by Conservative Members of Parliament. Fraser’s reports from 2002 and 2004 were important in uncovering the Liberal’s sponsorship scandal in Quebec.

An investigation by the RCMP into the matter was enough for the Conservatives to beat the Liberals in the 2006 election. While some politicians are expecting to learn a lot from the report, others are not so optimistic. Liberal MP John McCallum said it will only show whether the Conservatives followed their own rules. McCallum is looking more forward to a report that will outline how the funds were spent, but that document will not be released for another year. 

Written by: Chris Hanna