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Prince Albert Daily Herald, Tuesday, April 8, 2008 (edited version) and
Prairie Messenger, April 9, 2008
The Ahenakew affair: a bad law, an opportunity missed
By Maraleena Repo
... Mr. Ahenakew's brutish comments were made
at an emergency meeting December 12, ’02, in Saskatoon ... The reporter taped
Ahenakew blaming the Jews for creating World War II and calling them "a
disease." Five days later Ahenakew, in a press conference, apologized profusely
for his offensive and hurtful language, stating that his comments were made in
anger and frustration over the plight of native people in Canada, but that this
did not excuse them. He asked to reach out to the Jewish community.
This was the moment
when history could have been made, by a new level of
communication and trust-building between Ahenakew, his
own constituency whom he had hurt and the Jewish
community, victim of his ignorant and deeply offensive
comments.
continued...
GlobalResearch.ca, June 19, 2006
Canada: a galloping police state?
By Maraleena Repo
After five years of what can only be
described as intense "terrorism envy" by our security establishment – with their
repeated predictions of terrorist acts in Canada – the country has moved up a
notch, to terrorism frenzy. The discovery of an alleged conspiracy by 17 Muslim
men to attack facilities in Toronto and kidnap parliamentarians (as well as
beheading the prime minister) – ostensibly to get Canada to withdraw from
Afghanistan v came just in time before parliament debates the renewal of our
post-2001 anti-terrorism legislation, and when support for Canada's all out
military involvement in Afghanistan is softening by the day.
continued...
Halifax
Chronicle-Herald, October 28, 2005
Orchard no ’outsider’ in PC party
By Maraleena Repo
Marilla Stephenson’s Oct. 22 column, "Tories
take a step back in time with convention," perpetuates various myths about David
Orchard and his role in the extinguished Progressive Conservative Party of
Canada. ... Far from being an "outsider," Orchard worked steadfastly in the
party for six years, running for the leadership twice and contesting a seat for
the House of Commons, receiving a higher percentage of votes then than any other
Saskatchewan PC candidate in the 2000 election, and playing a significant role
in the party’s policy and constitutional deliberations and conventions from 1998
on. continued...
April 27, 2005
ETHICS? WHAT ETHICS?
AN OPEN LETTER TO STEPHEN HARPER AND PETER MACKAY
from Marjaleena Repo
Dear Sirs, You ceaselessly point your fingers at the
Liberal government members in the House of Commons and
pontificate about their ethical misdeeds, alleged and
real. You demand that they come clean, confess to their
malfeasance and accept punishment, long before the
Gomery Commission is able to present its findings of
fact and recommendations.
Now you want to force the whole country through an
early and expensive election because of the ethical
failures of the Paul Martin government! But who are you
two to talk about ethics and "moral authority?" Are you
not staring yourself blind at the speck in the
government's eye, while ignoring -- and hoping that no
one else would notice either -- the beam in your own?
continued

Ensign, April 12, 2005
Conservative leaders' rhetoric does not match reality
by Marjaleena Repo
In the aftermath of the Conservative Party's first convention, its leaders
are making statements that cannot go unchallenged. Stephen Harper announces
boldly that his party is a "very inclusive, open party," that there is room in
his party for differing views, and that the party has demonstrated "a high
degree of tolerance of differences." ...
On his part, deputy leader Peter MacKay continues to
falsify history. He claims, with a straight face, that
his infamous breech of the signed agreement with David
Orchard in the 2003 PC Party’s leadership convention, to
abide by the PC Party's constitution and not to merge
with the Canadian Alliance, was "democratic, involved,
transparent and open," because he had consulted widely
and thoroughly with party members before he signed an
agreement with Stephen Harper to do the exact opposite,
to merge the parties.
continued

CBC Radio, Commentary, Monday, November 26, 2004
How anti-American is Carolyn Parrish, really?
by Marjaleena Repo
Carolyn Parrish is the sacrificial lamb of Canadian politics, a
dissenter who has to be taught a lesson. As a public person she has
stepped outside the permitted narrow range of opinions, and, therefore,
off with her head...
continued Listen to the broadcast at CBC Commentary.

CIUT Radio,
The Taylor Report, Monday, Oct 4, 2004
Marjaleena Repo's second interview on CIUT Radio "The Taylor Report"
Following up on her September 6/04 interview with Phil Taylor,
Marjaleena Repo, senior advisor to David Orchard and former Progressive
Conservative Party Vice-president for Saskatchewan, discusses the "coup d'état"
that resulted in the takeover of Canada's founding party by the neo-con Canadian Alliance, the Republican Party North. In a fast paced back and forth, Taylor and Repo cover the
dramatic territory of this unprecedented story and explore its political significance.
(For more on the PC-CA merger click here.)
View Marjaleena Repo's reading list of books and articles discussed during the September 6th programme.
(30 minutes)

CIUT Radio,
The Taylor Report, Monday, Sept 6, 2004
"The Taylor Report" - Interview with Marjaleena Repo
Marjaleena comments on the war on Yugoslavia and the massive media disinformation campaign launched by NATO with the help of US PR firms to justify that war, the 2004 Canadian federal election and its low voter turnout, the legal challenge to the PC-CA merger and the status of the illegally withheld $70,000 from David Orchard's campaign funds -- and more. View Marjaleena Repo's reading list
of books and articles discussed during the programme.
(41 minutes)

Transcript CBC "Commentary" Monday, July 5, 2004
There's more to "voter apathy" than meets the eye.
by Marjaleena Repo
About 40 per cent of eligible voters didn't cast ballots in last week's federal election. "We have to look past so-called voter apathy." ...continued.

Regina Leader Post, Thursday, Jun 24, 2004 in an edited version
Voter obstruction, not "voter apathy"
by Marjaleena Repo
Lately extraordinary media attention is being paid to "voter apathy," and no wonder, as in a remarkably short time the turnout of eligible voters has dropped from 75% in 1988 to 61.2% in 2000, heading towards the U.S. rates of ca 40%.
Lack of civics in our schools is blamed; or a weakened sense of citizenship in the country (and perhaps in the western world); or just people's busy lives. Mostly the blame goes to "politics" which is experienced as meaningless and alienating and on politicians who make and break their promises, as they see fit...
continued

Ottawa Citizen, August 26, 2000
Bashing Clark is the new national
sport for Canada's media
by Marjaleena Repo
...Clark has for months on end been the
target of virulent attacks by the media. From the fury, one would think that he
is the leader of an unpopular governing party rather than a 5th ranked party.
Reporters, columnists
and cartoonists have raced to heap abuse on Clark. The
Globe and Mail's Paul Sullivan dredged up the old canard
of Clark "losing his luggage" on a foreign tour –
probably the only Canadian blamed for an airline losing
his baggage! Also, according to Sullivan, Clark "grins
foolishly" while wearing" a dorky cowboy hat" – again
the only person ridiculed for wearing de rigeur attire
at the Calgary Stampede.
continued Back
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