[Sust-mar] OPEN LETTER TO NS NDP: No to Cadet Day in NS & Law Amendments Submission

Tue May 4 00:50:27 EDT 2010

Hello Sust-Mar,

At the top of this message is an open letter that I sent to every NDP MLA
expressing my opposition to the proposed Bill No. 23 "Cadet Day". Below is
the submission I made to the Law Amendments Committee on Bill No. 23. This
is one of the worst examples of deceiving children in Nova Scotia. 

If you are outraged like I am, please contact the Premier and your MLA:
premier at gov.ns.ca 
Thank you, Tamara Lorincz

****

OPEN LETTER - May 2, 2010

Dear Nova Scotia NDP Premier and MLAs,

I am very concerned that the NDP introduced Bill No. 23 "Sea, Army, Air and
Navy League Cadets Day Act" with the aim of encouraging young Nova Scotians
to join the Cadet program as a way for the military to recruit them later.
The Cadet League of Canada-Nova Scotia Provincial Committee is very clear
that "stimulat[ing] an interest in the Canadian Forces" is one of its three
main objectives: http://www.aircadetleague.ns.ca/documents.htm 

The text of Bill No. 23 is here:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/LEGISLATURE/legc/bills/61st_2nd/1st_read/b023.htm but
it does not fully portray the skills that young people learn including
"marksmanship, rifle training, and gaining a healthy respect for firearms." 

Check out the picture of the girl holding the rifle in the NS Air Cadet
League: http://www.aircadetleague.ns.ca/ (though boys dominate cadets-it is
not a popular program for girls). Why did the NDP not honestly describe the
cadet program in the bill and mention that the skills include weapons
training?

As the Hansard debate clearly laid out on April 27, it is a measure to
encourage young people to support and join the military:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/LEGISLATURE/hansard/han61-2/house_10apr27.htm Why do we
want our young people involved in the cadet program and military only to
prepare to "fight with the Canadian Forces" and possibly go to war?

I find it shocking what Premier Dexter said about the cadet program and what
MLA Manning MacDonald said about NS cadets on US warships learning about the
invasion of Cambodia and the use of Agent Orange (both illegal by the US)
http://www.gov.ns.ca/LEGISLATURE/hansard/han61-2/house_10apr27.htm.

The Cadet program is NOT a program with our children's best interests in
mind. It is a program historically devised as a way to maintain a militia in
this country over a hundred years ago and it is now funded and directed by
the Department of National Defence as a recruitment strategy. 

It is very sad that the NDP would fast-track a "Cadet Day" for the first
Saturday of November every year when this province doesn't even have a
"Children's Day" (universally recognized on November 20). The NDP could have
also established a "4-H Day" to encourage young people to become farmers and
gardeners - we need young people to create local, organic food systems not
to learn how to use weapons. There are better youth programs: the Adventure
Earth Centre, Peaceful Schools International, the Young Naturalists Club,
Nova Scotia Sea School, and the Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corps, where
our young people can learn respect for each other and for the earth. A
militarized economy and society are not sustainable and are not in the best
interests of our children and this province. 

Why is the NDP really supporting "Cadets Day"? Why was there so little
critical debate on Bill No. 23? I see that the bill passed second reading on
Tuesday and went to law amendments committee on Thursday. How can this bill
be stopped? How can there be a full, honest debate in the house on this
bill?

Finally, I would like to have the correspondence to the Premier's office
related to this bill and to find out who else lobbied for this bill. 

I look forward to a response from the NDP, 

Tamara Lorincz

PS. Please be aware that I plan to tell everyone that I believe that the NDP
was not honest in the Legislature about its true intentions for "Cadet Day"
and in the wording of the bill that it did not mention "weapons training". I
will also encourage all my friends with children to NOT have their children
join the Cadet program.

REFERENCES (Please look at the documents and pictures to see what the cadet
programs are about)

Cadet League of Canada-Nova Scotia Provincial Committee
http://www.aircadetleague.ns.ca/documents.htm 

Army Cadet League of Nova Scotia
http://www.armycadetleaguens.ca/ 

Sea Cadet-Atlantic Region
http://www.cadets.ca/regions/atl/content-contenu.aspx?id=52035 

Federal Government Public Spending - Department of National Defence 2009
http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/recgen/pdf/50-eng.pdf 
(p. 18-10 on Cadet program)

Department of National Defence Plans and Priorities 2010-2011
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rpp/2009-2010/inst/dnd/dnd-eng.pdf 
(DND Target to increase youth in cadet program p. 24)

******************

TO:	Law Amendments Committee

From:	Tamara Lorincz, 55 Willowbend Court, Halifax, NS B3M 3L3

Date:	May 3, 2010

Re:	Bill No. 23 "An Act to Establish a Day to Recognize the Royal
Canadian Sea, Army and Air Cadets and the Navy League Cadets in Nova Scotia"

Bio: I am a mother with two young boys. I am very active in the community on
environmental, sustainability, social justice and peace initiatives.
Professionally, I am the Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Environmental
Network. I am currently on the Nova Scotia Minister's Round Table for the
Environment and Sustainable Prosperity and the Sustainability Education in
Nova Scotia for Everyone Working Group. In my personal capacity, I sit on
the Parent-Teacher Association of Burton-Ettinger School, the Advisory
Committee of the Nova Scotia Council for Early Child Development, the
Halifax Peace Coalition, and the Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace and I
am involved in the Clayton Park-Fairview Community Action Network. 

Background: I am very opposed to Bill. No. 23 "An Act to Establish a Day to
Recognize the Royal Canadian Sea, Army and Air Cadets and the Navy League
Cadets in Nova Scotia". I missed appearing in person before Law Amendments
on this bill last week and I would like to ask that the committee not
recommend that the bill go to Third Reading and if the committee will not
reject this bill then I would like to propose amendments to the wording.

My concerns:
.	The bill and the debate in the House did not accurately reflect to
the public that the cadet program is funded and directed by the Department
of National Defence with an explicit objective to interest young people to
join the Canadian Armed Forces
.	The bill and the debate in the House did not accurately convey to
the public that the cadet program is a recruiting strategy for the military
and that this is explicit in the Department of National Defence's Plans and
Priorities for 2010-2011
.	The bill and the debate in the House did not disclose to the public
that children would be given weapons training, marksmanship training, and be
on warships etc. in the cadet program
.	The bill and the debate in the House did not disclose to the public
that children in the cadet program would be given camps, training
opportunities, and exchanges with the US military
.	The cadet program is NOT in the best interest of children
.	This province doesn't even have a "Children's Day" (universally
recognized on November 20) and all children in Nova Scotia should be a top
priority to designate a day for them
.	The government could have established a "4-H Day" to encourage young
people to become farmers and gardeners - we need young people to create
local, organic food systems not to learn how to use weapons. 
.	There are better youth programs: the Adventure Earth Centre,
Peaceful Schools International, the Young Naturalists Club, Nova Scotia Sea
School, and the Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corps, where our young people
can learn respect for each other and for the earth. 
.	I am opposed to any cadet or military programming or recruiting in
our public schools
.	Children in the cadet programs are between 12-18 years old and they
are vulnerable and are not able to fully discern what involvement in the
military entails
.	Parents are not given full information about the cadet program
including the risks associated with weapons use
.	Using weapons and preparing for/training for war undermines the
non-violent, anti-bullying programming and peace education done in our
public schools and in the public education curriculum
.	Using weapons and preparing for/training for war undermines parents'
guidance of their children to not fight and use weapons to solve problems
.	A militarized economy and society are not sustainable and are not in
the best interests of our children and this province.

My proposed amendments:
.	The bill is amended to convey to the public the full intentions
behind the cadet program including recruitment to the Canadian Armed Forces
.	The bill is amended to signal to the public that the cadet program
involves children using weapons i.e. rifles
.	Please remove this Whereas "AND WHEREAS the Royal Canadian Sea, Army
and Air Cadets and the Navy League Cadets are a positive influence in
today's society;" - there is no evidence of this
.	Please remove the word "valuable" in this clause "learn valuable
life and work skills, such as teamwork, leadership, good citizenship and
physical fitness, that will benefit them no matter what path they choose to
follow;" because weapons training is not a valuable skill
.	If not, please revise the wording to include these other skills
training as part of the cadet program, in fact the signature programs,
"healthy respect of firearms", "marksmanship", and "shooting"
.	Please include a reference to the cadet program being funded and
directed by the Department of National Defence

REFERENCES Please look at the documents and pictures to see what the cadet
programs are about and please refer to the attached documents.

DND's Cadet Canada
http://www.cadets.ca/home-accueil.aspx?LangType=4105

DND's Cadet Canada - Parents Guide (woefully incomplete and does not
honestly tell parents about their children's exposure to weapons and
recruitment for the military)
http://www.cadets.ca/content-contenu.aspx?id=49315

Cadet League of Canada-Nova Scotia Provincial Committee
http://www.aircadetleague.ns.ca/documents.htm 

Army Cadet League of Nova Scotia
http://www.armycadetleaguens.ca/ 

Sea Cadet-Atlantic Region
http://www.cadets.ca/regions/atl/content-contenu.aspx?id=52035 

Federal Government Public Spending - Department of National Defence 2009 
http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/recgen/pdf/50-eng.pdf
(p. 18-10 on Cadet program)

Department of National Defence Plans and Priorities 2010-2011 
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rpp/2009-2010/inst/dnd/dnd-eng.pdf
(DND Target to increase youth in Cadet program p. 24)

Stepping Up Our Game: Cadet Population Growth Initiative (Youth Programs
Development Article)
DND's Cadet Canada - March 3rd, 2010
http://www.cadets.ca/content-contenu.aspx?id=100145

**Please read these background documents on DND/military's strategy to
increase the cadet program here:
http://www.cadets.ca/content-contenu.aspx?id=100145 

.	Cadet Population Growth Initiative (CPGI) Letter, 28 Jan 2010 (PDF
version, 978KB)
.	Strategic Initiative Directive (SID): Cadet Population Growth
Initiative, 17 Feb 2010 (PDF version, 336KB)

I believe the real motivation for the NDP bill is to assist the Department
of National Defence with its youth military recruitment through the cadet
program. 

Nova Scotians should get a full, frank and honest assessment of the Cadet
program so that they can choose whether this program is appropriate for
their children, so the Act must at the very least be amended if not
cancelled entirely.

Finally, I do not believe that this is not a bill with children's best
interests in mind and the cadet program is also NOT a program with
children's best interests in mind. It the work of the Department of National
Defence.

Thank you for your serious consideration of my concerns and for stopping
and/or revising Bill No. 23. 

Sincerely,

Tamara Lorincz

BA, BComm, MBA, LLB
55 Willowbend Court
Halifax, NS CANADA B3M 3L3
Phone: (902) 443-2423
Cell: (902) 478-1379