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Shib ibsue: (Y Douglas College student to lead CUP The Skills Bridge research project

And more!

¥ A brief history of Canadian political security failures

Mars One shortlist revealed

» One-way trip to Mars attracts over 200,000 applicants worldwide

non-profit organization

with the objective of starting a human colony on Mars by 2025 has revealed a shortlist of just over 1,000 would-be space travellers out of the more than 200,000 applications received.

Mars One, the non-profit program, was co-founded by Dutch billionaire Bas Lansdorp and is funded through sponsorships and donations. The group also has a strategy to raise funds to put together the $6-billion necessary to make this project a reality.

Funds will be generated from a crowd-funding campaign, as well as the sale of broadcasting rights, and a

reality show that will be aired to have been selected, the project

: select the final candidates to go : to the red planet.

Mars One proposes a one-

Once the 40 candidates

: plans on narrowing the field

: further through a reality show : : that is to be aired online. The : way manned spaceflight to Mars : : for the purposes of establishing : a human colony. Missions to

: Mars are expected to commence : : in 2016, when supplies would

: start being sent out. At this

: time, three to four supply

: missions are scheduled before

: the first colonists would be sent : to Mars in 2022.

: Applicants have been vetted : : and the shortlist contains

: 1,058 applicants, all of whom

: have submitted video essays

: revealing why they should be

: selected for the journey. The

: shortlisted candidates will now : undergo a series of physical

: and medical exams, knowledge : testing, and other exercises so

: that the project can narrow

: the list to 40 prospective

: astronauts.

program expects to select

: 24 candidates, which would : compose six teams of four.

The flight to Mars would

: take approximately 10 months

: and the first crew would be

: expected to arrive sometime

: in 2023. Their mission is to

: build the settlement using

: materials already on the planet supplied by previous unmanned : missions.

Seventy-five Canadians

: made it past the first round.

Application criteria for the

: Mars One program was very

: inclusive. Applicants had to be

: over 18 years of age, apply in

: any of the 1 most commonly

: spoken languages on the

: Internet, and be willing to leave : Earth for good. Candidates will

: essentially move to Mars and

: die there.

Have an idea for a story? Let us know!

Contact: Patrick Vailancourt, News Editor

Mnews@theotherpress.ca

www. theotherpress.ca

Photo by www.mars-one.com

Breaking his own rules

» PM Harper doesn't rule out federal election before 2015

-... Patrick Vailancourt “2 News Editor

=| Minews @theotherpress.ca

rime Minister Stephen Harper has not ruled out the possibility of calling a snap election in 2014, according to a recent interview with Postmedia News.

Harper, whose governing Conservatives are in a bit of a political slump over a string of scandals—including the Senate expenses scandal—and breaches of election laws by former members of the Tory

alleged misbehaviour by the government.

The prime minister is not prohibited by law from calling an early election, but it would be the second time in five years that Harper would ignore the fixed election legislation that his own government tabled after assuming office in 2006.

: 2008, saying that his minority

caucus, have had a difficult time : government was unable to

finding their focus as opposition : govern and that a new mandate

parties keep delving deeper into : from the people was required.

The fixed election

: legislation, which mandates

: that federal general elections be : held every four years, would see : the next federal election take place in October 2015.

Given that the

: Conservatives enjoy a majority : of the seats in the House of

: Commons, it is unlikely that Harper called a snap election in :

Governor General David : Johnston would refuse a writ of : election submitted by Harper.

Some in the Conservative

ranks may see a snap election as : their best possible opportunity : to be given a new mandate

: from Canadians, particularly as : NDP leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau

: are untested in terms of leading : their respective parties in an

: election campaign. Harper's only federal electoral loss came

: in 2004.

Polls suggest that the

: Liberal party have had a good

: 2013, especially since the

: election of Justin Trudeau as

: leader. The NDP, on the other

: hand, have lost support in

: national polls from the historic : highs they garnered in the 20n : general election.

The possibility of a snap

: election could bring about

: division within the party: some : Conservatives may believe that : asnap election would allow the : Harper government to get back Ca : on message and give them the Stephen Harper // Photo by www. ipolitics.ca : opportunity to take the Senate : expenses scandal out of the

: news cycle; meanwhile, other

: members of the Tory caucus

: may feel that a snap election at : this time puts them at risk of

: losing government.

Harper himself may find

: some resistance from his

: own backbench at holding a

: snap election, as the prime

: minister’s leadership has come : into question of late. Mark

: Warawa, a Tory backbencher, has openly called on the

: Prime Minister to be more

: flexible with MP’s statements,

: protesting the involvement of

: PMO staff vetting MPs talking

: points. Another MP, Brent

: Rathgeber, left the Conservative : caucus altogether to sit as an

: independent, in protest of

: similar concerns.

Concerns about the prime

: minister’s handling of the

: Senate scandal has also made

: its way onto the government's

: front bench, which has led to an : increasing dialogue in political

: circles and in the media about

: who may potentially succeed

: Stephen Harper as leader of the : federal Conservatives.

Under the current fixed

: election law, the next general

: federal election is scheduled to : take place on October 19, 2015. : Prime Minister Harper has the : option of calling an election

: before the fixed date. The

: Canadian constitution limits

: the mandate of a government

: to five years between elections, : although the fixed election

: legislation calls for elections to take place every four years.