news // 4

Security around Canadian prime ministers

» A brief history of security fails

_ Patrick Vailancourt ?2 News Editor

e #i = “news i @theotherpress.ca

n event last week attended

by Stephen Harper at the Vancouver Board of Trade resulted in protesters bypassing the prime minister’s security umbrella and has prompted some discussion about security for Canadian political leaders.

Prime Minister Harper was participating in a question and answer session on energy and the economy as protesters, who were dressed as catering staff, appeared on the stage and stood mere feet from the prime minister, holding placards in protest of the government’s environmental policy, or lack thereof.

This has prompted some serious questions about the security of the prime minister. The RCMP is ultimately responsible for the prime minister’s security, and resources and security detail for the Prime Minister’s Protective Detail had been previously increased under the former officer in charge, Supt. Bruno Saccomani.

While the prime minister’s office has upheld the tradition of not commenting on or disclosing any information related to the security of the

: prime minister, security experts : believe that someone will be : : losing their job over the security : : breach in Vancouver.

“Yes, someone’s in trouble,”

: said Larry Busch in an interview : : with CTV, a security expert who: : was responsible for Harper's

: security in Ontario.

Harper has fallen victim to

: four major security breaches

: throughout his tenure as prime : minister. In 2009, a group of

: approximately 200 protesters

: sat in the gallery of the House

: of Commons and heckled

: during question period. In 20u, : during the Throne Speech, a

: Senate page approached the

: centre of the chamber mid-

: speech to display a sign that

: said “Stop Harper.” The page,

: Brigitte DePape, was promptly

: fired from the Senate and has

: started an anti-Harper website. : She was also a key organizer

: behind the Vancouver protest.

: Environmental activists were

: also successful at protesting

: Harper’s environmental agenda : while the prime minister was

: abroad—specifically, in 2013, : : when Stephen Harper addressed : : the British MPs in the United : Kingdom.

While all of the protests

: directed at the incumbent prime : : minister have been peaceful, : some past Canadian prime

: ministers experienced some : scary security breaches that

CLIMATE

JUSTICE

theotherpress.ca

Protester at Vancouver Board of Trade meeting with Stephen Harper // Jonathan Hayward

could have potentially been life- : threatening.

Former prime minister

: Jean Chrétien was involved in : a few episodes that may have : potentially endangered his life.

In 1996, Chrétien was

: involved in an altercation

: with someone at an event in

: Hull, Quebec which resulted

: in Chrétien grabbing the man : by the throat and shoving him

: aside.

While visiting Prince

Edward Island in 2000, Chrétien : was targeted fora “pie attack,”

: and a protester was successful

: at breaching the security

: perimeter and hitting Chrétien : with a cream pie to the face.

: While Chrétien wasn’t injured

: (though his ego may have

: been damaged), the incident

: prompted a review of the prime

: minister’s security procedures.

Chrétien was also involved ina life-threatening security

: breach in 1995, when a man

: managed to break into 24

: Sussex Drive, the prime

: minister’s official residence, and : attempted to attack Chrétien

: and his wife, Aline Chrétien,

: with a knife.

Research project aims to improve the learning and work strategies of BC students

» The Skills Bridge: Essential Skills for BC College Students research project

PF" julia Siedlanowska | Staff Writer

he Skills Bridge: Essential

Skills for BC College Students is a research project funded by participating institutions through BC Colleges, a consortium of British Columbia’s 11 public post-secondary institutions. The role of the consortium is to lobby the provincial government on matters of policy and funding and to

the colleges. The project builds upon the results of the Association for Canadian

: Community Colleges National : Framework for Essential Skills : Research Project of which

: Douglas College students from : health sciences and commerce : & business administration

: programs participated in 2012.

“The goal of the National

: Framework project was to

: demonstrate that through a : : systematic approach to essential : : skills development, student

: performance and subsequently : their success at school could be : improved,” said Cat Adler, skills : coach with the Douglas College : training group. “Although the facilitate collaboration between : research project was a success, : it was decided that it would be : worthwhile to further research : this approach.”

The project aims at

: improving the learning and

: work strategies of BC post-

: secondary students by offering : weekly study strategy sessions

: that incorporate essential skills : methodology in approaches

: to learning. The Government

: of Canada has identified

: and validated nine essential

skills: reading text, document

use, writing, numeracy, oral : communication, thinking skills, : : working with others, computer : use, and continuous learning.

Students will participate

in weekly two-hour study

: sessions at which they will be : given customized learning

: strategies. They will be given : the opportunity to apply

: these learning strategies

: to their homework and

: class assignments. Project

: administrators stress that

: students’ workloads will not : be affected by the project, as : participants will be able to

: complete their homework

: during the study sessions.

“Currently, this project

targets students from the : hospitality, health care support

worker, and dental assisting

: programs. Ideally, we would

: like to see as many students as : possible from these programs

: come to participate. We are

: offering free study sessions

: which will help students learn : how to be better students,”

: says Adler. “At the same time,

: students that participate in

: this research project have an

: opportunity to change the

: face of college education.

: Ultimately, we would like to

: give students the tools they

: need to succeed at school and : at work and through research : projects such as this, we can

: identify the best way to provide : these tools.”

Adler also said, “If the

project is successful, we would

: like to expand it and refine it,

: working with more programs

: from different faculties and

: disciplines. At Douglas, our

: ultimate aim is to provide access : to essential skills coaching to all ; students who want it, regardless : of the program they are in.”