Oct 5, 2018 04:09 PM
Ban on putting Shetland in a box on maps comes into force
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-sco...s-45733111
EXCERPT: New rules barring public bodies from putting Shetland in a box on official documents have come into force. Islands MSP Tavish Scott had sought to change the law to ban the "geographical mistake" which "irks" locals, by amending the Islands (Scotland) Bill. The bill's "mapping requirement" has now come into force, although it does give bodies a get-out clause if they provide reasons why a box must be used.
Mapmakers argue that boxes help avoid "publishing maps which are mostly sea".
The Islands Bill, which aims to offer greater protections and powers to Scotland's island communities, was unanimously passed in May. It gives island councils extra powers over activities on and around their coastlines and requires ministers to have a long-term plan for improvement.
Thanks to an amendment from Mr Scott, it also includes a "Shetland mapping requirement". The Lib Dem MSP said the common practice of placing Shetland in a box off the Moray Firth or the Aberdeenshire coast was "intensely annoying" to islanders, and created a false impression of the challenges they face on account of their remote location.
The final rule written into the bill requires the islands to be "displayed in a manner that accurately and proportionately represents their geographical location in relation to the rest of Scotland" in any documents published by Scottish public authorities. However, it does note that authorities can avoid complying with this if they provide "information" about their reasons.
Mr Scott said it was "ridiculous" that he had to change the law to close the box. He said: "There is no excuse now for the Scottish government, its agencies or others to put Shetland in a box. The box is closed. It doesn't exist, whether that be in the Moray Firth or east of Orkney. Shetland is now in the right place. "This Islands Act must go a whole lot further. Islands proofing - ensuring the islands are recognised in any law or government regulation - must work."
MORE: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-sco...s-45733111
Trudeau government navigates fine line of not upsetting India again & freedom of expression
https://globalnews.ca/news/4439381/khali...ce-canada/
EXCERPT: A prominent pro-separatist Sikh organization says it plans to hold polls in several Canadian cities as part of a worldwide referendum for an independent Sikh nation called Khalistan in India‘s Punjab state. Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) says it is targeting Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver to join some 100 cities worldwide where Sikhs will be polled in a non-binding referendum as part of a campaign dubbed “Referendum 2020.” The group, which has branches in New York, Toronto and London, says it’s seeking to use the planned November 2020 referendum to assess the appetite for an independent Khalistan, before presenting its case for a binding referendum to the United Nations.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office said the Liberal government would not recognize any such referendum. In a statement, Freeland’s office sought to strike a balance between supporting Canadians’ right to expression and respecting the sovereignty of a country with whom relations were strained following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s troubled state visit there in February.
“Canada’s position on a united India has not changed and our government would not recognize such a referendum,” a spokesperson for Freeland told Global News. “Canadians have the right to freedom of expression and speech. Canadians have the right to peacefully express their views.”
Global News has also reached out to Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to request comment on how they would handle the matter if they find themselves in the prime minister’s seat come 2020....
MORE: https://globalnews.ca/news/4439381/khali...ce-canada/
- - -
India asks Canada to stop people from misusing freedom of expression to ‘glorify terrorists’ (May, 2018)
https://globalnews.ca/news/4205194/india...errorists/
EXCERPT: India says it wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s government to do more to prevent people from misusing their right to freedom of expression to “incite violence and glorify terrorists as martyrs.” The statement was made during a Universal Periodic Review session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday. In the statement, a representative of India’s permanent mission to the UN also recommended that Canada continue its progress in fighting discrimination against Indigenous peoples, work to tackle racial profiling and help promote equal pay for women, among other things....
MORE: https://globalnews.ca/news/4205194/india...errorists/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-sco...s-45733111
EXCERPT: New rules barring public bodies from putting Shetland in a box on official documents have come into force. Islands MSP Tavish Scott had sought to change the law to ban the "geographical mistake" which "irks" locals, by amending the Islands (Scotland) Bill. The bill's "mapping requirement" has now come into force, although it does give bodies a get-out clause if they provide reasons why a box must be used.
Mapmakers argue that boxes help avoid "publishing maps which are mostly sea".
The Islands Bill, which aims to offer greater protections and powers to Scotland's island communities, was unanimously passed in May. It gives island councils extra powers over activities on and around their coastlines and requires ministers to have a long-term plan for improvement.
Thanks to an amendment from Mr Scott, it also includes a "Shetland mapping requirement". The Lib Dem MSP said the common practice of placing Shetland in a box off the Moray Firth or the Aberdeenshire coast was "intensely annoying" to islanders, and created a false impression of the challenges they face on account of their remote location.
The final rule written into the bill requires the islands to be "displayed in a manner that accurately and proportionately represents their geographical location in relation to the rest of Scotland" in any documents published by Scottish public authorities. However, it does note that authorities can avoid complying with this if they provide "information" about their reasons.
Mr Scott said it was "ridiculous" that he had to change the law to close the box. He said: "There is no excuse now for the Scottish government, its agencies or others to put Shetland in a box. The box is closed. It doesn't exist, whether that be in the Moray Firth or east of Orkney. Shetland is now in the right place. "This Islands Act must go a whole lot further. Islands proofing - ensuring the islands are recognised in any law or government regulation - must work."
MORE: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-sco...s-45733111
Trudeau government navigates fine line of not upsetting India again & freedom of expression
https://globalnews.ca/news/4439381/khali...ce-canada/
EXCERPT: A prominent pro-separatist Sikh organization says it plans to hold polls in several Canadian cities as part of a worldwide referendum for an independent Sikh nation called Khalistan in India‘s Punjab state. Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) says it is targeting Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver to join some 100 cities worldwide where Sikhs will be polled in a non-binding referendum as part of a campaign dubbed “Referendum 2020.” The group, which has branches in New York, Toronto and London, says it’s seeking to use the planned November 2020 referendum to assess the appetite for an independent Khalistan, before presenting its case for a binding referendum to the United Nations.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office said the Liberal government would not recognize any such referendum. In a statement, Freeland’s office sought to strike a balance between supporting Canadians’ right to expression and respecting the sovereignty of a country with whom relations were strained following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s troubled state visit there in February.
“Canada’s position on a united India has not changed and our government would not recognize such a referendum,” a spokesperson for Freeland told Global News. “Canadians have the right to freedom of expression and speech. Canadians have the right to peacefully express their views.”
Global News has also reached out to Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to request comment on how they would handle the matter if they find themselves in the prime minister’s seat come 2020....
MORE: https://globalnews.ca/news/4439381/khali...ce-canada/
- - -
India asks Canada to stop people from misusing freedom of expression to ‘glorify terrorists’ (May, 2018)
https://globalnews.ca/news/4205194/india...errorists/
EXCERPT: India says it wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s government to do more to prevent people from misusing their right to freedom of expression to “incite violence and glorify terrorists as martyrs.” The statement was made during a Universal Periodic Review session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday. In the statement, a representative of India’s permanent mission to the UN also recommended that Canada continue its progress in fighting discrimination against Indigenous peoples, work to tackle racial profiling and help promote equal pay for women, among other things....
MORE: https://globalnews.ca/news/4205194/india...errorists/