Quote of the week:

"I believe that if any party will ever legalize marijuana in Canada, it is the Liberals." - Former Marijuana Party leader Marc-Boris St-Maurice, on why he's switching parties to join the federal Liberals, in a statement Monday.

Wiwa knows war

Globe and Mail columnist and human rights activist Ken Wiwa is coming to Concordia to talk about "Human Rights, Corporations and Your Campus." Wiwa, son of murdered Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, is delivering his talk as part of the Know War Project. The multi-group effort aims to examine the ties between McGill, Concordia, and the U.S. military, whether through administrative involvement (Concordia's board of governors has members from military contractors Bell Helicopter and CAE) or through indirect affiliations with military providers like Bombardier, SNC-Lavalin and Pratt & Whitney.

Organizers hope that Wiwa's speech will spark dialogue about the increasing corporate involvement in public education.

"He's internationally known for his work concerning the involvement of corporations in human rights abuses," says Tim McSorley, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students-Québec. "The links between universities and corporations increasingly mean that we cannot separate our institutions from the violations that these corporations are committing."

Wiwa will be speaking on Thursday, March 10 at 8 p.m. in the Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve W., H-110). Admission is free. For more information, check out www.knowwar.ca. » Jason Gondziola

Tooker remembered

Eco-activist, politician, bike nut, recycling pioneer, suicide: Tooker Gomberg was all these. When he jumped into Halifax harbour a year ago March 3, he left behind many friends and admirers, as well as an important legacy of people power.

On Sunday, March 6, Montrealers will get the opportunity to mourn, reflect on and celebrate the mercurial Gomberg with a sacred ritual involving petals, pebbles and water. Similar events are taking place this week in Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.

"This year it'll be beyond a eulogy," says event organizer and longtime Gomberg friend Jean Blais-Mathieu. "Rather, we want to discuss what we've learned, where we are and how to support ourselves and our community."

Gomberg's Halifax-based widow, Angela Bischoff, concurs. Gomberg was depressive, and a month before he committed suicide was on anti-depressants. She thinks he may have had an adverse reaction to it, leading to his death. "Part of my next chapter is to coalesce around and counter the main medical establishment," she says.

The remembrance ritual takes place at Alternatives (3720 Parc, 2nd floor) at 7 p.m. For more info visit www.greenspiration.org. » Patrick Lejtenyi

Feds choose love

If you're a Canadian citizen and want to sponsor your spouse to immigrate to Canada, there's good news. Two weeks ago, federal immigration authorities reversed a 2002 law that ordered applicants to leave the country while their immigration papers were being processed. The policy had divided couples and families.

"The hardship in that situation is huge and sometimes there's young children involved, so the hardship is multiplied," says Patrice Brunet, president of the Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association, clearly no fan of the now-scrapped measure. "It's not humane. I had a case where a Canadian sponsored her husband - it took only six months, but she missed him so much she went to Lebanon to visit him twice. So it's unnecessary and can be difficult for people with limited means."

Rules are more or less back to the way they were prior to 2002, and similar to what they are in the States, meaning that couples can stay together through the immigration process. Brunet is lobbying the feds to allow spouses separated by the law to be reunited in Canada immediately. » Kristian Gravenor

Women's Day events

Tuesday, March 8 marks International Women's Day. Some options:

On Saturday, March 5, the eighth March Coordination and Action Committee of Women of Diverse Origins will hold panel discussions on modern slavery, migration, violence and religious fundamentalism. Accompanying them will be exhibits and information tables (400 Ste-Catherine E., #AM 050). Registration begins at 2 p.m., with the panels running from 3–5 p.m. A dance performance by Boston-based Aparna Sindhoor will follow at Salle Marie Gerin-Lajoie (405 Ste-Catherine E., 7 p.m.). Suggested donation of $5 to $10.

On Monday, March 7, the Canadian Actors' Equity Association Women's Committee stage a show at Comedyworks (1238 Bishop, 8 p.m., $10), with proceeds going to women's shelter Herstreet and Breast Cancer Action Montreal.

Also on Monday, Concordia's Simone de Beauvoir Institute hosts controversial feminist firebrand Sunera Thobani, who'll give a lecture at 1590 Dr. Penfield, 7 p.m., free.

Finally, on Tuesday, March 8, there will be a march from Berri Square to Phillips Square beginning at 6 p.m. » Patrick Lejtenyi

REAR-VIEW MIRROR

19 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Feb. 27–March 20, 1986

On the cover: Francine Pelletier, editor of radical feminist magazine La Vie en Rose, who is finding it difficult to tread the fine line between popularity and remaining true to the magazine's original political mission. "If we have become conservative to some," she tells Paula Sypnowich, "it has a lot to do with just dealing with reality and the whole financial aspect of the magazine."

• "The Jesus and Mary Chain is the Next Big Thing you've been waiting for," writes Jenny Ross. "Touted as bigger than Frankie, compared to the Sex Pistols in that they could become too trendy and self-destruct."

• Rick Trembles reviews Brazil in an unbelievably small Motion Picture Purgatory. "Movie tries to offer us a happy rescue ending but ends up being just some post-lobotomy dreaming," he writes.

• Artist Kevin Kelly - who makes portraits out of junk - tells Owen Ford that, "When I do a portrait of a friend, often I just let them choose the materials themselves. So that it reflects more of their aesthetic."

Angel >> Juvenile death penalty ban Tuesday, March 1, marked International Abolition Day, a global day of action against the death penalty. It also marked the day the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that imposing the death penalty on convicted murderers who were under 18 at the time of the crime was unconstitutional. The decision affects about 70 inmates now on death row. And while 19 states permit the execution of juvenile murderers, only Virginia, Oklahoma and (surprise!) Texas have done so in the past decade. It may be a small victory for death penalty opponents, but it's a victory nonetheless.
Insect >> Wal-Mart's union intimidation The Quebec Labour Relations Board is the latest institution to bash the world's largest retailer in the wake of its decision to close the recently unionized Jonquière outlet. Last Friday, Feb. 25, Wal-Mart management in Ste-Foy was ordered to stop intimidating union-minded staff with threats of poor performance evaluations and other disciplinary measures. But the saga is putting Jonquière (pop. 58,000) in the spotlight: no less august a publication than The Economist has reported on the matter, and labour pressure was reportedly instrumental in the cancellation of a Wal-Mart opening in Queens, New York. More Canadian Wal-Mart labour certification fights continue, notably in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, and Weyburn, Saskatchewan.