So how much has CIDA given IPPF anyway?

This is another fun fact from my recent ATIP to CIDA/DFATD.

The answer would be $147 million since 1983. That's about $5 million a year.

That's your tax dollars and mine. Given to the world's number one abortion provider.

100 crosses = 1,000 abortions in Canada every year

March 31, 2014

Ottawa, ON -Last week a local group in Elgin County, ON set up a massive abortion memorial along Hwy. 3 just outside of Aylmer.

“Roadside memorials are commonplace alongside many thoroughfares in Canada. They serve as respectful reminders of people who once were alive, and are now gone,” said Mike Schouten, director of WeNeedaLAW.ca.

“Similar to the many other abortion memorials that continue to be set up across the country, this memorial consists of hay bales and crosses. Each of the 100 crosses represents one thousand lives lost to abortion in Canada every year,” continued Schouten.

The hay bales and crosses are accompanied by signs from WeNeedaLAW.ca and ARPA Oxford. There are also pictures of a pre-born child and a Bible passage.

“We applaud ARPA Oxford for this initiative. As a nation we are more and more recognizing that abortion is an injustice against vulnerable members of the human family and something needs to be done about Canada's lack of protection for pre-born children at any stage of development,” concluded Schouten.

Jadelle not purchased for Tanzania - instead purchased for Mali

Remember Jadelle? Well it's back.

I recently received more information from CIDA/DFATD about the $6 million funding to IPPF.

In my current ATIP, it looks like my writing about Jadelle before (see page 181 below) triggered some questions from DFATD to IPPF, about Jadelle.

DFATD asked IPPF:

"Could you please provide us with more information on the contraceptives that your Tanzanian member uses as part of the project we fund?

The response (in part) from IPPF was that:

1. IPPF has not purchased Jadelle and distributed it to Tanzania
2. UMATI has not purchased Jadelle with Canadian funds
3. Canadian funds have not been used to ensure service providers and insert and remove Jadelle [sic] (see page 178 below)

Interesting. But what is even more interesting is that on another page located withing the semi-annual report, I discovered that Jadelle was purchased and used in Mali.

In the IPPF semi-annual report (April-September 2013) it was revealed that IPPF purchased a quantity of 4,000 Jadelle implants for Mali. On the same report, sure enough there is no Jadelle listed for Tanzania. (I'll post those pages later.)

(Update April 25, 2014, More information on this drug here
"Adverse health conditions among American women subsequent to Norplant use American women have experienced serious adverse health conditions after having Norplant inserted, including, but not limited to, increased intracranial fluid pressure (pseudo tumor cerebri), chronic blurred vision, leading to permanent vision loss or blindness, and tumors in the brain and other organs.2,3 Other conditions experienced by American women include hyper menorrhea (heavy and sustained menstrual bleeding), serious acne, sustained nausea, debilitating headaches, weakness or paralysis in one or more limbs, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, weight gains of sometimes over 100 pounds, severe mood swings and irritability. Further, many have found that having Norplant removed was a much more difficult procedure than they had been originally advised.4")

Note: On my last CIDA/DFATD ATIP, I had questioned them to find out specifically what was being funded under the "Approved Activities" (1) for the five countries Afghanistan, Mali, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Sudan. I was told that "no records related to your request exist." This time I received some of the details of that request. I'll blog more about that later.

Kathleen Wynne is the only one with a last name

I called Kathleen's office again. (I called earlier this week and spoke with Ian and Vera.)

This time I spoke with Cheryl and Carlitta.

Nobody there has last names it seems, and they won't give them to you if you ask. What are they afraid of?

In any event, I got lectured on how, even though Kathleen's Open and Transparent Government initiative is her initiative, well each piece of data (like abortion data) belongs to a particular Ministry and not the Premier.

She referred me to the Minister's office, where of course, I have been in touch with many times already and still waiting for answers.

I told Carlitta that although I understand what she's trying to say, I still maintain it is the Premier's responsibility to answer my very simple question, since is is Kathleen's initiative. Carlitta disagreed.

You see, this is what open, transparent and accountable government actually looks like in Ontario: not open, transparent and accountable.

That's what the gas plants and subsequent email deletion campaign looks like too. The big cheese simply doesn't take any responsibility and gets off the hook, downloading the fallout to all the poor schmucks underneath them.

Kathleen, and Dalton before her, seem to be experts at not being accountable. That's why they have last names.

When youtube collides with reality

Regarding my last response to Kathleen Wynne's repeated attempts to brush me off, I called her office today and asked to speak with her. Someone there told me that a person needs to put their request to speak to the Premier in writing. What a hoot.

Of course I've already repeatedly asked her if she intends to stop hiding abortion information under her open government initiative. In any event I've now sent her a written request to speak with her.Your queenship.

I also called Deb Matthews office and asked to speak with her about my last letter to her. Someone did call me back and apparently a response has been written, and it should go out in the next week or so. I'm honoured.

If you want a chuckle, have a look at Kathleen's "open government" video posted online:

"We're introducing an open government initiative to help create the transparent government you deserve. A government that works for you and with you...to do this we are introducing three initiatives, open data, open information and open dialogue. Open data is the foundation of open government....we want to unlock the data...to make it easy for outside parties to access".

And this:

"open information...this addresses government processes and making them more transparent...we want to give you a clear picture...of what things cost...."

Lastly:

"everything builds up to open dialogue...we want you to be able to communicate with us and tell us how you think we're doing and how things can be improved".

Kathleen really did post this video. I. Am. No. Kidding.