Harper Conservatives on Liberal's Plan for OAS - 2004

Back in 2004, the Harper Conservatives accused the Paul Martin Liberals of having a "hidden agenda" to raise the age to qualify for the Old Age Security to 67.  The Conservative Party of Canada had acquired the information on the Liberals through access to information.

As far as I can tell only the NDP have been consistent on the issue of OAS.

Click on Image to enlarge

The campaign news release is still posted on http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/election/News1/CRelease17.htm

'Drop the beer!' No? Zap!' – Tasers a Weapon of Convience

The BC Police Complaint Commissioner agrees with the earlier report of the RCMP Complaints Commissioner that Taser weapons should be reclassified as firearms.

B.C. Commissioner, Dirk Ryneveld, says “Unfortunately, the Taser has become a tool of convenience in some situations. Sort of a come along device. ‘Drop the beer!’ No? Zap!”

My question is how many of reports is it going to take before the Taser is reclassed? And come to think of it - How many people have to die from this so-called non-lethal weapon before something is done?

Police oblivious to pain Tasers inflict: RCMP complaints commissioner

Re-Class Taser Guns, RCMP Watchdog says

A report by Head of Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, Paul Kennedy, on the use of taser guns by the force has noted that the use of the weapons has increased over the last six years to include situations where people were “clearly non-combative”. Kennedy states that “Use [of taser guns] has expanded to include subduing resistant subjects who do not pose a threat of grievous bodily harm or death and on whom the use of lethal force would not be an option”.

The report recommends that the taser guns be reclassified from “intermediate tool” to “impact weapon”, meaning the weapon should only be used by officers when there is a clear threat of death or moral injury to officers or the public. In addition to restricting the use of tasers the report also calls for more monitoring of the weapon’s use and further research into the effects of the stun gun on the human body and the risks of inducing the condition that Dziekanski is thought to have died from, called excited delirium.

Hopefully the government will act quickly on the recommendations of this report so that we can avoid further tragedy.

Link to Report:
The commission's Taser report to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day

Reference:
RCMP must curb Taser use, watchdog says

Tasers are Weapons and Weapons KILL

Numerous police forces use Taser guns as 'non-lethal' weapon for officers. Maybe labeling a weapon as non-lethal is root of the problem.

A unarmed Polish immigrant was killed by a tasering last month in a Vancouver Airport. If the officers knew at that time, they were using lethal force, would they have used it? Anyone who has seen the horrible video of Robert Dziekanski's death by Taser knows that lethal force was not necessary in this case. The problem with labeling a weapon as non-lethal, is that it gives a false sense of security to officers making them more likely to use the weapon, even if there are other ways of subduing a suspect.

Given the public outcry over Mr Dziekanski's death at the hands of RCMP officers and other recent deaths by Taser guns in Canada, Commissioner William Elliott has said that the RCMP will review their policy on the use of Tasers.

Currently there are four probes underway into Dziekanski's death. The B.C. coroner, the RCMP, the public complaints commissioner for the RCMP and the Vancouver Airport Authority are all conducting their own investigations.

Reference: RCMP to review Taser policy in wake of airport death: commissioner

taser RCMP vancouver

Tired of earning peanuts with AdSense? Make $500 or more as a sponsored Blogger.