Petition Tag - transparency

This letter is in support of the more than more than 140 electronics workers in Korea who have developed cancer and other serious occupational diseases (more than 1/3 of whom have already died).

We will be presenting it to the Korean Government in order to support the court decision which ruled in favor of compensation for Samsung workers (but the government has filed an appeal in support of Samsung).

This is an important precedent setting case and we need to demonstrate broad global support for this struggle.

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Government Expense Accounts exist to fund MPs' and Senators' travel, hospitality, and other expenses directly related with their work. It's funded by Taxes and therefore should be spent responsibly, and the money spent should be transparent to the tax payers.

There was already National Public demand for this; on May 14th, 2010, the Auditor General Sheila Fraser was denied access to the expense account, MPs denied using the expense account beyond its intended purpose, but their defenses brought up more suspicion of irresponsible spending.

All four parties voted against allowing the auditor general access to the accounts. This happened in the wake of a scandal involving British MPs whose expense accounts had revealed irresponsible spending.

Testimonials from Liberal MP Michelle Simson, while she was a guest on the Roy Green Show, reveal that the expense accounts are not being used responsibly; most notable was an NDP MP who charged a parking ticket to their expense account. She has made her expense account spending transparent, and is alone in the crusade for all MPs to do the same, being silenced by her party for it.

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BACKGROUND

Recognizing the conflict between self-interest and the public interest, the Professional Engineers Act (1922) gave self-regulating associations the power only to register engineers in Canada and not the right to control who could practice engineering.

However, in the interest of their members these associations lobbied governments for 14 years to control who could practice of engineering! Eventually, the Professional Engineers Act was amended in 1937 so these associations could introduce mandatory licensing processes.

PROBLEM 1: IT'S BAD FOR IMMIGRANTS

These provincial self-regulating associations designate who is qualified to use the title Professional Engineer (P.Eng). This legislated control over the title of Professional Engineer (P.Eng) means new immigrants possessing engineering qualifications, including those who have received a professional engineering accreditation overseas, lose this accreditation when they arrive in Canada.

In order to practice engineering in Canada, immigrants must navigate a foreign credential recognition process fraught with barriers to success. Applicants must undergo an individual-by-individual peer review of their credentials and must acquire twelve months of Canadian experience under a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng). However:

• Engineering associations do not publicly document what criteria constitute Canadian experience. An applicant doesn't know what s/he's going to be judged against. This is a fundamental problem.

• Applicants do not have access to an arm’s length appeals process to question how someone has interpreted their acquired Canadian experience. This is a fundamental right.

EVIDENCE

In a 2007 case Tchou-San-Da v. Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) BC SC 1403 and BC SC 1815, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that engineering association’s Bylaw 11(e)(2) was invalid and struck it down because the Bylaw failed to explain the nature and extent of the work experience required by APEGBC for licensing engineers in British Columbia.

Therefore, immigrants face a highly subjective process of Canadian experience evaluation that is not accountable, objective or transparent. For CAPE’s 3,300 immigrant members from 120 countries, all of whom seek to practice engineering in Canada, this requirement is a major barrier to licensing and employment. As a result, only 12% of our members work as engineers in Canada.

PROBLEM 2: IT'S BAD FOR CANADA

This situation negatively impacts Canada as well. In a 2006 report, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found Canada’s regulation of the engineering profession highly restrictive of competition.

Canada is also a signatory to the two major international regulatory agreements:

• As per the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (article 1210), Canada has agreed to liberalize engineering services by making licensing requirements fair, objective, transparent, and no more burdensome than necessary.

• As per the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATTS) (TN/S/23), Canada has agreed to reduce and/or eliminate discriminatory licensing or registration procedures in engineering services.

EVIDENCE

In the Conference Board of Canada's annual scorecard:

• Canada earns a “C” grade with a Labour Productivity Growth of negative (-) 0.9%.

• Canada earns a "D" and ranks last among the 17 peer countries in graduating PhDs. CAPE members are six-times more likely to hold a Masters in engineering, and twice as likely to hold a PhD, than an engineering graduate in Ontario!

• Canada earns a "D" grade and ranks 14th out of 17 countries in innovation. The Canadian economy remains a below-average performer on its capacity to innovate.

This lack of competition and opaque licensing processes are a severe problem for our economy.

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A plan is proposed by BSF and Hackney Council to demolish Horizon School and replace it with a significantly enlarged school on the existing site. The proposals are at the Planning stage with Hackney Council.

It will mean:
•significant reduction of children's' outdoor play area
•destruction of thirty mature trees, currently covered by a tree preservation order
•a new access road running through the playground, which will exit onto Prince George Road
•a new drop-off point for children and deliveries on Prince George Road
•a significant increase in traffic, resulting in congestion and noise
•loss of parking spaces.

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The Executive Board of Oxford City Council proposes to abolish or downgrade Area Committees and/or remove their local planning powers.

We want to keep our area committees because:

-they are held in our communities and are easy to get to;

-they allow us to raise local issues and get problems fixed;

-they give us the chance to tell our local councillors what's important to us, and debate big local issues;

-we can use the backing of area committees to help us with campaigns for better services;

-the councillors who make planning decisions about where we live and how developments will affect us must be people who know the area and understand our needs.

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Over the past two decades, Samsung has become one of the most dominant electronics companies in the world, and is now a global leader in semiconductors, flat panel displays, mobile phones, and television production.

Sadly, this rapid rise to global dominance has come with serious consequences for the workers who produce the products – recent reports indicate that about 100 workers – mostly young women - have been stricken with cancer – mostly blood cancers - and at least 30 of them have died – making this the one of the largest known electronics cancer clusters in the world. (See http://tinyurl.com/2bl5c8a for more information).

Samsung has denied all responsibility for these illnesses and the Korean government has declined to declare the cancers “work related” and refuses to disclose results of its investigation of Samsung. In response, a strong support movement led by the victims and their families has emerged in Korea and around the world and is seeking justice for those who have suffered from occupational illness.

We the undersigned express our support for the workers and their families and call on the Korean government and Samsung to commit to the following principles in addressing this situation:

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In 2008 Nova Scotia celebrated 250 years of democracy, making it the oldest democracy in Canada. However this venerable democracy is threatened by a lack of transparency and accountability.

In the past 6 years, spanning the 59th and 60th General Assemblies, 853 bills have been introduced, debated and voted upon in the Nova Scotia Legislature. Only 12 of those votes were recorded in the official record so 98.5% of the bills were voted on anonymously, with no indication of which MLAs were present, who voted in support and against.

Without a voting record Nova Scotia citizens cannot hold their Representative and the House accountable for voting done in citizenry's name on crucial issues affecting their families and communities.

Visit us and take further action:
http://www.knowhowtheyvotens.com
http://www.atlanticaparty.ca

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Evidence shows that the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends an increasing amount of money marketing products direct to physicians: at least $25 billion in 2005 (more than double that spent in 1996).

Published evidence clearly shows that marketing spending shifts doctors toward higher cost and sometimes less-safe drugs.

94% of physicians have some relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.

Consumers and taxpayers pay through the increased cost of drugs.

Disclosure of industry marketing will help reduce soaring drug expenditures, protect the public, and restore trust in the medical profession.

The Physician Payments Sunshine Act introduced by Senators Kohl and Grassley on January 22, 2009, would require all pharmaceutical and medical device companies to publicly report gifts and payments to physicians who receives more than $100/year. Payments that would be disclosed include gifts, consulting payments, speaking contracts, and travel, and would be published in a publicly accessible online database.

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The Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia

Advocating, Educating, and Mobilizing the Citizens of Nova Scotia to Exercise Their Rights to Information.

The Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia (RTKNS) is a non-profit organization. Through advocacy and education, RTKNS encourages the use and development of freedom-of-information legislation to foster a better informed and more politically active electorate in Nova Scotia and to improve the quality of public and private decision making in the province.

Reduction or elimination of the fees associated with accessing government held, public information is one of the foremost goals of the Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia.


**** Please note that those signatures labelled 'Anonymous' on the petition are by people who have chosen to not display their names on the web. Their names are available for the printed petition. ****

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[English]: Call on the European Union to ensure that the laws and practices of the United Nations internal justice system are fair and consistent with international human rights standards.

[Français]: Appel à l'Union Européenne pour assurer que les lois et les pratiques du système interne de la justice des Nations Unies soient équitables et conformes aux normes internationales des droits de l'homme.

[Български]: Покана за Европейския съюз да гарантира, че законите и практиките на Организацията на обединените нации вътрешната правна система, са честни и съобразени с международните норми за правата на човека.

[Čeština]: Přijet k Evropske unii, aby zajistila, že zákony a praxí ve Spojených národů pro interní systém soudnictví jsou spravedlivé a jsou v souladu s mezinárodními standardy lidských práv.

[Dansk]: Opfordrer Den Europæiske Union til at sikre, at lovgivning og praksis i De Forenede Nationers interne retssystem er retfærdige og i overensstemmelse med internationale menneskerettighedsstandarder.

[Deutsch]: Fordern Sie die Europäische Union auf, sicherzustellen, dass die Gesetze und Praktiken des internen Rechtssystems der Vereinten Nationen fair und im Einklang mit den internationalen Menschenrechtsstandards sind.

[Eesti]: Abipalve Euroopa Liidule, et teha kindlaks, kas ÜRO siseõiguse praktika ja süsteem on õiglased ning kooskõlas rahvusvahelise inimõiguse standardiga.

[Ελληνικά]: Πρόσκληση για την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση να διασφαλίσει ότι η νομοθεσία και τις πρακτικές των Ηνωμένων Εθνών και η εσωτερική δικαιοσύνη είναι δίκαιη και σύμφωνη με τα διεθνή πρότυπα ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων.

[Español]: Hacemos un llamado a la Unión Europea para garantizar que las leyes y las prácticasn en el sistema de justicia de las Naciones Unidas sean justas y coherentes con las normas internacionales de derechos humanos.

[Gaeilge]: Iarraidh ar an Aontas Eorpach deimhin a dhéanamh de go bhfuil dlíthe agus cleachtais chóras dlí inmheánach na Náisiún Aontaithe cothrom agus ag teacht le caighdeáin idirnáisiúnta chearta daonna.

[Italiano]: Appello all’Unione Europea per far sì che le leggi e la pratica del sistema di giustizia interno delle Nazioni Unite siano eque e conformi con le norme internazionali dei diritti umani.

[Latviesu valoda]: Aicina Eiropas Savienību nodrošināt, ka Apvienoto Nāciju Organizācijas iekšējo tiesu sistēmas likumi un prakse ir godīgi un saskaņā ar starptautiskajiem cilvēktiesību standartiem.

[Lietuviu kalba]: Skambink į Europos Sąjungos ,kad galėtum užtikrinti, jog įstatymų vykdymas, Jungtinių Tautų vidaus teisingumo sistemoje, yra teisingas ir atitinka tarptautinius žmogaus tesių standartus.

[Magyar]: Felkeresni az Európai Uniót megbizonyosodni hogy a törvényei és a gyakorlatai az Egyesült Nemzetek belső igazságügyi rendszerének korrektek és megegyeznek a nemzetközi emberi jogok szabvánnyal.

[Malti]: Sejha lil Unjoni Ewropeja biex tizgura li il ligijiet u l prattici interni gudizjarji tan Nazzjonijiet Unitichuma gusti u konsistenti ma l istandards internazzjonali tad drittijiet umani.

[Nederlands]: De Europese Unie oproepen ervoor te zorgen dat de wetten en gebruiken van het interne rechtssysteem van de Verenigde Naties eerlijk en consistent zijn en overeenkomen met de internationale mensenrechtenverdragen.

[Polski]: Wezwamy Unię Europejską do zagwarantowania, że prawa i praktyki wewnętrznego systemu wymiaru sprawiedliwości Narodów Zjednoczonych są sprawiedliwe i zgodne z międzynarodowymi standardami praw człowieka.

[Português]: Chamar a atenção da União Europeia para assegurar que as leis e as práticas das Nações Unidas para o sistema de justiça interno são justas e coerentes com as normas internacionais de direitos humanos.

[Română]: Apel la Uniunea Europeană pentru a se asigura că legislaţia şi practicile interne ale sistemului de justiţie ale Organizaţiei Naţiunilor Unite sunt corecte şi în concordanţă cu standardele internaţionale în domeniul drepturilor omului.

[Slovenčina]: Požadujte od Europskej únie, aby zabezpečila zákony a praktiky vnútorného súdnictva Spojených národov tak,aby boli spravodlivé a v súlade s medzinárodnými štandardmi ľudských práv.

[Slovenščina]: Pokliči na Evropsko unijo, naj zagotovi, da so zakoni in prakse Združenih narodov notranjega pravnega sistema pošteni in v skladu z mednarodnimi standardi človekovih pravic.

[Suomi]: Kehottaa Euroopan Unionia varmistamaan, että Yhdistyneiden Kansakuntien sisäisen oikeusjärjestelmän lait ja käytännöt ovat oikeudenmukaisia sekä yhdenmukaisia kansainvälisten ihmisoikeusnormien kanssa.

[Svenska]: Uppmanar Europeiska Unionen att se till att lagar och praxis för Förenta Nationernas inre rättsliga organ är rättvist och i linje med internationella normer för mänskliga rättigheter.

[Русский] : Обратитесь к Европейскому союзу с просьбой гарантировать, что законодательство и практика Организации Объединенных Наций во внутренней системе правосудия справедливы и совместимы с международными стандартами прав человека.

[中文]: 呼吁欧联盟，以确保在法律上和联合国内部审判系统的实施上公平，符合国际人权标准。

عربي:
دعوة الاتحاد الأوروبي من أجل ضمان أن تكون قوانين وممارسات نظام العدالة الداخلي للأمم المتحدة عادلة ومطابقة للمعايير الدولية لحقوق الإنسان

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