news // 4 Day of Action rallies oppose Bill C-51 » Canadian citizens, politicians fear vagueness of ‘anti-terror bill’ Angela Espinoza News Editor Mi news @theotherpress.ca v7 Rvs dubbed as the Day of ction which opposed the proposed Bill C-51, also known as the “anti-terror bill,” took place all over Canada during the week of March 9. The bill, were it to be passed, has been described by critics as giving police throughout Canada “broader powers.” Many have voiced concern over the “vagueness” of descriptions in the bill, fearing that any public discussion or criticism of government powers could result in detainment by police in Canada. Public fears of a Canadian “secret police” being formed and providing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service with additional powers : have also resulted from the : bill. The bill would also allow : information to be shared : between various branches of : federal departments in Canada. The Vancouver-based : protest occurred at the : Vancouver Art Gallery on March : 14, where over 1,000 people : crowded around the square. : Protestors marched peacefully : throughout the city while : chanting at the gallery and in : the streets with statements such : as “Down with Harper.” According to the Province, a : Facebook page associated with : protests of Bill C-51 reportedly : had 40 events occurring : throughout the country that : week; however, the Globe and : Mail reported that the number : of events was actually 55. The vice-president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, : Chief Bob Chamberlain, said : ina public statement at the : gallery, “We, as citizens of a : democracy, would fully expect : the government to look out for : our best interests, to safeguard : our rights, to ensure that we : have opportunitiesinorderto —: : express our concerns in whatever : : venue and whatever manner that : : we see fit.” : In an interview with the : Globe and Mail, Toronto : protestor Ayesha Khan stated, : “It creates an environment : where youre guilty until proven : innocent and that’s not who we : are in Canada. We have stronger : : values than that.’ Some have discussed the : complexities of the issue for : both sides, as BC Premier : Christy Clark stated on a March : 12 episode of CBC’s Power and : Politics: “I think the federal : government needs to be paying : close attention to security Fis they Fieri op tn : for obvious : reasons. I mean, we are engaged : : : : very much in the Middle East at : Parliament have disapproved of : : how the presentation of the bill : know, people want to know that has been handled. : they and their leaders are safe : in the country. the moment. And I think, you “I do think, though, it is important to remember that : we have to keep our personal : freedoms alive and whole,” added Clark. Reportedly members of theotherpress.ca Photo by Charlie Smith : the NDP party and others in At the Montreal protest, : NDP leader Thomas Muclair : publicly stated, “C-51 isa bill : that could seriously endanger : our right to protest peacefully, to : stand up against a government : oran infrastructure or an : economic policy.” BC mother asked to cover herself while breastfeeding on flight » Not the first time United Airlines has stirred controversy about breastfeeding Angela Espinoza News Editor Mi news @theotherpress.ca BC Business Magazine ssociate editor Kristen Hilderman caught attention on social media the week of March g after one of her Twitter post went viral. The post describes an experience Hilderman had aboard a March 8 United Airlines flight from Houston. Hilderman recounted that while breastfeeding her five-month- old son, a male flight attendant by the name of “Keith” implied she should cover herself. In Hilderman’s post, she wrote the attendant called out to her husband and asked, “Are you two together?” When her husband replied “yes,” “the flight attendant tossed a blanket m9 here, help her out’ Hilderman replied by twice asking, “Help me out with what?” and wrote that the attendant did not reply to her. She further noted that while re- boarding from a stop in Seattle, hers was the only seat on the flight to have a folded blanket > on it. The post has been shared : over 2,000 times as of March : 14, and Hilderman has : publicly replied with updates : from United Airlines and the statement, “It’s been an : overwhelming few days, but : I’m glad we're all discussing : breastfeeding rights.” CBC shared one response from United Airlines’, which : stated, “United welcomes : nursing mothers on board and : we ask that crew members do : : their best to ensure their comfort : : and safety as they do with all : customers.” However, CBC reported that Hilderman is hoping to : see the flight attendant who : offended her “reprimanded,” as : Hilderman felt “embarrassed” : and “frustrated” by the : experience. : Hilderman has since spoken : : with a number of media outlets at him ... and said tersely, ‘Then : about the incident. The Huffington Post reported that United Airlines : had a similar incident made : public in 2006, when another : flight attendant asked a : passenger to cover herself while : breastfeeding because they : : were “concerned” about how the : : act affected other passengers. : Ina 2006 post on the website : ParentDish.com, the attendant : reportedly asked the mother to : wait until they'd landed to feed : her child, and again offered her : a blanket if waiting was not possible. Huffington Post also shared a story from 2013 in regards to : an American Airlines incident, : in which a mother stated a flight : attendant shook her head while ; the mother fed her child, and : was told to cover herself since : children were on board. In an interview on March : with the Vancouver Sun, : Hilderman stated, “I really didn’t : think it was going to blow up : like this. “TL asked United what the follow-up would be and how : they would handle it with the : flight attendant and how they : would handle it companywide, but I don’t think they understood that this was turning : into a big deal.” Vancouver Sun also noted that airlines often have policies : specific to breastfeeding, : and that one of WestJet’s : policies is that if a passenger is : uncomfortable with the act of : breastfeeding ina public space, it is the flight attendants’ duty to : move the passenger elsewhere. a Could selfies Beitac- hikers safety? » Coquitlam Search and Rescue and North Shore Rescue disagree on ‘trailhead selfies’ Angela Espinoza News Editor Minews @theotherpress.ca oquitlam Search and Rescue has urged those going on hiking trails to take photos of themselves prior to hikes and post them with the hashtag #TrailheadSelfie before heading out. Search and rescue volunteer Michael Coyle spoke Shore Rescue stated that just : taking a selfie could make : hikers think that’s all they'll : need to do to guarantee their : safety. with the Georgia Straight, saying that hikers should turn off their cellphones to save power. He also stated that the social media posts could be the difference in helping find hikers who go missing. “Without fail, when people just about dead,” said Coyle. Because some social Image from wikimedia : media sites use time stamps : on posts, it’s possible for : hikers to be “geotracked.” Coyle also stressed that it’s : important for hikers to have a : set travel plan prior to hikes in : the event that something goes : wrong. However, the Georgia : Straight also reported that : North Shore Rescue disagrees : with the “trailhead selfie” : plan. Curtis Jones of North “They may do it [take : selfies] instead of telling : someone where they're going,” : E : said Jones. “It doesn’t really call for help, their batteries are : .4)ye a Jot of the problems that : we've been facing.”