Unveiling Values in Canada

Canada prides itself on being the most multicultural country in the world... yet it's still surprising when a woman walks past you completely covered up. The niqab and burka, though popular in several middle eastern countries, are still rare on the prairies.

The diverse University of Regina population is slowing changing that. Students from Saudi-Arabia have been flowing into our university. A scholarship provided by Saudi Arabia's King has given 60,000 students the opportunity to study abroad. Hadeel Bin-Amer is one of those students. She came to Canada two years ago and refuses to change clothing.

With her dark, covered robe, she's a bold statement all on her own. In public, only her eyes are visible.

I can't even thinkg of covering up like this but for an indignant, confident Hadeel she can't imagine her life without it.

Perhaps this confidence comes from a Saudi Arabian sentiment most of us will never understand. But it's not only Canadians that don't see eye to eye with this tradition. Two weeks ago, the Muslim Canadian Congress asked the Federal government to ban all niqabs, masks and burkas. The congress feels that these coverings marginalize women and are more a part of Saudi custom than religion.

And so the debate rages on. Do these coverings marginalize all women? Or are some women happy and comfortable with this clothing? And can we as Canadians, who boast about our multicultural, accepting nature, actually ask these women to undress a part of their culture?

It reminds me of the debate over Sikh turbans in the RCMP force. After much discussion, the Canadian government ruled in favor of Sikh peoples' right to wear their religious head wear. But this time, it's Muslim women, not even Canadians that are making a stir. So, it's all in the way you look at the issue. Is it a problem or a sense of identity for these women?

Before talking to Bin-Amer, I would have thought the former. However, meeting a confident and content female that has had the choice to "de-robe," yet has chosen to stand out on her own has really changed my perspective.

It is a Canadian right to express one's culture and traditions. I don't think we can choose for others what they can or cannot wear. However, if some Muslim women in Canada feel forced to wear the niqab or burka, then they should come forward. And our courts can deal with the human rights violators of this whole different issue.

Past My Bedtime

So when our professors said newspaper layout, they truly mean newspaper CAMP OUT.

It's rounding midnight and I can't remember what masthead, font size or text box even mean. When I started refining my pages at noon, I thought I was ahead of the game. Clearly seeing the finish line, racing after that racetrack bunny. But 11 hours later... and Myles and I are still here. The best part... after everything's laid out, you must wait for EACH page to print separately. Approximately 1 and a half minutes per page :) yeeee times that by 60! Then take that number and times that by 4 separate massive pages gahhhhh

So for all you future layout groups, bring a sleeping bag, maybe a cushy pillow and some tylenol. Because one displacement of a photo could send your whole page and head reeling.

So here are my survival tips:
1)PREPARE: Do as much as you can before your print day so you're not spending your Thursday night hugging the printer, and praying it will start up again... (that was Myles by the way).
2)LINGO: learn Mark's newspaper lingo beforehand... so you don't look like a complete idiot when it comes to Quark. GUILTY!
2)SLOW: don't expect it to be quick and easy. It's a long and complicated process if you're not familiar with this software.
3)SNACKS: pack the basics... it's survival mode after dark.

Our consolation is that your stories are fabulous and we were happy with our final layout. Sweat, blood, tears and a TEMPLATE went into this for the rest of you! You can thank us later ;)

CAN'T YOU WAIT TO GET STARTED?!?

Mwahahaha group one is done (the evil laughter is wearing off and the salty tears of a very tired brown girl are taking cheek) Out of here before the downpour...

Why do we not care?!?

It seems nowadays with students, you have your political junkies who spearhead clubs, raise party issues and speak so eloquently you'd think every student was adamant about their voting right. Then you have your students who are formally educated, and by this I mean forced to take political science 100. So, if their teachers don't take them by the hand to the voting poll, at least it's discussed in class. Then you have your vigorous journalists, who are supposed to be actively involved and promoting democratic discourse. And of course you have your keeners in EVERY faculty who'll take on their Canadian right to have an opinion. But it's shocking how many students are apathetic or ignorant of election issues, even those happening in their own city!

Today, I interviewed a variety of students, asking them if they're voting in the upcoming civic election. The majority of responses were, "What? there's an election". It's one thing to not know the issues, maybe even the candidates, but to not even know it's taking place? It's slightly disturbing and worrisome considering the local coverage the media has provided. The mainstream newspapers and tv outlets have been following candidate injunctions for weeks.

We are the next generation of politicians, and if we're so apathetic, what will become of our political process? Last year's federal election was less than heart warming as only 58% of Canadians came out to vote. The lowest demographic of people were young Canadians. Shamefully, not surprising from the answers I heard today. Although we're only holding a civic election, if young people are not even voting in their cities, why would they care about federal politics?

Many people have offered solutions to voter apathy. Some say we need more dynamic leaders, a different system of voting, better communication. I think education is the first step -- by putting value on city, provincial and federal issues in the classroom. I wish I had teachers that discussed the daily news while I was growing up. Even just 10 minutes to start the day would help kids get a sense of the world we live in. Rather than regurgitating mindless facts that don't actually apply to our lives. If students are too busy to keep tabs on the political process, we need to bring the political process, in an interesting way, starting from a young age to the classroom!

Privacy vs Safety?

Privacy and Safety - both strong Canadian values we often take for granted. But are they mutually exclusive?

That question is being raised over the Federal Proceeds of Crime (and money laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. Implemented in 2008, the act requires realtors to collect some form of personal identification from all their clients and store that information for five years. (Prior to 2008, realtors voluntarily notified FINTRAC about suspicious spending. Now they are required to keep it filed on record.)

I can understand the frustration of many realtors, having to take responsibility for people's identities. And what if their offices get broken into? They could be sued for lost records... which most of them didn't want to keep in the first place. It's also interesting how our province's privacy commissioner and medical association have also written concern. Primarily, over the use of health cards for non-medical purposes. But the government is of course covered. Section 11b of the Saskatchewan Health Information Act has a minor clause that allows the use of health cards for non-medical purposes, if required by an Act or law. Either way, privacy commissioner Gary Dickson has written his concerns in an e-mail saying he's worried about identity documents held by various organizations for long periods of time.

On the flip side of the coin, realtors aren't the only ones required to keep records. Accountants, security companies, insurance brokers and even casinos have to retrieve and keep some form of personal id. So the federal government doesn't think this is an onerous and new burden for realtors. 500 million dollars is laundered in the US each year alone, and the Canadian government wants to keep track of suspicious spending on this side of the border. All to prevent terrorists or organized criminals from setting up shop in Canada. But is this a legitimate concern of Canadians or is the government simply perpetuating a culture of fear? General crime rates across Canada have dropped over the past 10 years... mind you organized crime may be less detected and reported.

I think it's more likely these files will be stolen and identity theft will take place than for organized crime to start up. But, either way your information is out there, maybe not through realtors but through other job occupations. Not to mention the many ways we use the internet to give out personal id numbers all the time. So, technically you're information is daresay, never completey safe.

So what can you do. Is it better to be safe than sorry? Can you completely protect your identification? It all comes back to the basic question. In this day in age it seems like you have to choose. Privacy or safety - which one do you want?