Politics

News Politics

Nelson Mandela Memorialized By Prime Ministers, Presidents, Royalty, Citizens, Celebrities

The skies wept over thousands of mourners gathered yesterday in a soccer stadium in South Africa to remember Nelson Mandela.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, attended along with four former prime ministers: Jean Chretien, Kim Campbell, Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. Also in attendance was Shawn Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

Leaders of many other nations attended the memorial service to commemorate “the father of South Africa,” who passed away on Thursday at the age of 95.

But it was U.S. president Barack Obama that brought the crowd to its feet in a standing ovation with his words of praise for Mandela:

He makes me want to be a better man. He speaks to what’s best inside of us. After this great liberator is laid to rest, and when we’ve returned to our cities and villages and rejoined our daily routines, let us search for his strength, let us search for his largeness of spirit somewhere inside of ourselves.

Breaking News News Politics

World Mourns the Death of Nelson Mandela

The world is mourning the passing of one of the greatest leaders of our time.

Nelson Mandela is dead at 95.

He died on Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa, from a lung infection.

Mandela was a symbol of freedom for the people of South Africa.

“Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father,” South African President Jacob Zuma said in an announcement.

He called this, “the moment of our deepest sorrow.”

News Politics

Assembly Of First Nations Chief Visits NWT Community, Leaders

Last month the Canadian community of Behchoko received an important visitor.

National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, of the Assembly of First Nations, travelled to the remote northern community on Oct. 30.

There, he met with the leaders of the Tłı̨chǫ government and toured the Chief Jimmy Bruneau and Elizabeth Mackenzie schools.

Behchokǫ is 100 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

The Tłı̨chǫ government is one of several First Nations governments created in Canada through a modern treaty negotiation process between the First Nations and the Government of Canada. The Tłı̨chǫ government was established in 2005.

Chief Atleo had a full day of activities in Behchokǫ, beginning with a lunch at the Chief Jimmy Bruneau High School with Tłı̨chǫ chiefs and advisors.

News Politics

Three Canadian Senators Suspended – Historic Move By Senate

In an historic move, three Canadian senators have been tossed from the Senate.

Senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau have been “suspended” (removed from their jobs for a period of time).

Members of the Senate voted to suspend the three until the next federal election, likely in 2015.

The vote was hotly debated and discussed.

Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin had made impassioned speeches to the Senate, pleading their case and hoping to avoid being removed.

But in the end, the three senators were suspended.

News Politics

Canada Makes A New Trade Deal With The EU

Canada has a new deal with the European Union. The agreement is expected to increase the amount of trade between Canada and many countries in Europe.

Trade, in this case, is when one country buys something from another country and vice-versa.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the new deal could increase trade by 20 per cent, beginning in 2015, and add $12-billion to Canada’s income (the money it makes) each year.

The new trade deal is called CETA, which stands for Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

It is expected to create 80,000 new jobs in Canada.

Canada and the European Union have been working on the new trade deal for the past four years.

Canada’s largest trading partner is the United States, but increased trade with other partners is good so Canada is not as dependent on any single country.

News Politics

Canada’s Senate Scandal Grows Amid Accusations And Denials

Things have been heating up in the Canadian Senate.

Two days ago, Senator Mike Duffy made a riveting speech. He accused the Prime Minister and some other senators of bullying him into paying $90,000 back to the government when he didn’t think he should have to.

His accusations were part of a dramatic speech.

“The sad truth is, I allowed myself to be intimidated into doing what I knew in my heart was wrong, out of a fear of losing my job,” Duffy said in his speech.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has defended himself against the accusations.

Then yesterday another senator, Pamela Wallin, made a heated speech in the Senate. She accused 14 senators of leaking information about her.

It’s all part of a growing “senate scandal.”

News Politics

“I Am Malala” – A New Memoir By Malala Yousafzai

It was a year ago this week that the world came to know young Malala Yousafzai.

The girl, who is now 16, was riding a bus on her way home from school in Pakistan.

Two men, who were members of a terrorist organization in Pakistan, came on the bus and attacked Malala. The group known as the Taliban, doesn’t agree with girls getting an education.

Malala had been writing online about the importance of girls going to school and about her own love of learning.

The Taliban wanted to stop Malala—but their actions created a world-wide outpouring of affection for the brave girl, who has since nearly fully recovered from her ordeal.

Malala was taken to a hospital in England, where she had a life-saving operation. She now lives and goes to school in England.

News Politics

U.S. Government Partially Shut Down

The U.S. government was partially shut down on Monday.

More than 800,000 government workers were forced to stop working.

They won’t get paid during the shutdown.

More than 400 public sites that are run by the federal government were closed.

They include national parks, monuments such as the Statue of Liberty in New York, historic sites, lakeshores and walking trails.

About 97 per cent of NASA employees will be sent home during the shutdown, according to The Washington Post newspaper.

News Politics

The World Is Watching Syria

Countries around the world are trying to figure out what, if anything, to do about the situation in Syria.

The Middle Eastern country has been waging a civil war since 2011.

That’s when Syrians staged protests against the country’s leader, Bashar al-Assad.

al-Assad and his supporters fought violently against the protesters.

The two groups have been fighting ever since.

News Politics

“Father Of South Africa” Nelson Mandela Responding Well To Treatment In Hospital

Nelson Mandela is responding well to treatment, according to his doctors.

Mandela is one of the most well-known and respected people in the world.

He is 94 years old and is in hospital, fighting a recurring lung infection.

Doctors say he is in serious but stable condition.

To many people around the world, Mandela is known as a great hero.

He fought for the freedom of blacks in South Africa.

During the 1950s until the late 1980s, South Africa was ruled by a relatively small number of white people. Black people, in the majority in the country, had few rights.

The separation of white people and black people** was known as “apartheid.”

Blacks were not allowed to be citizens, and were not given the same rights as white people. Services for black people were greatly inferior to those provided to white people. Black people were not allowed access to the best schools, hospitals, beaches or many other services to which the country’s white people had access.

Apartheid was denounced around the world, but South Africa’s government refused to change its policy.

Nelson Mandela, and people who followed him, wanted to change things.