Letter from the President

As we approach the Annual General Meeting, things at the MARL office could not be busier. In February, with the help of a facilitator, your board had a day-long planning session setting the future course for MARL. We have many of the same challenges facing all non-profit groups, but given the specialized and unique nature of the work we do, we have tough choices to make too, deciding which issues we will focus on and which issues we need to pass on. Over the next several months, a subcommittee of the board will be taking steps to implement some strategic changes that will strengthen MARL in the long term.

You may have noticed that MARL is growing in profile. While there is still much work to do, we have made a conscious decision to take a more proactive role in becoming vocal on issues of concern to the organization. We have been contacted by a number of media organizations locally and across the country to comment on issues from gang activity in The Pas, police-operated websites targeting prostitutes and their clients, and police shootings. This presence raises our profile, which leads to increased contact from the media as well as feedback from the public (both very positive and very negative).

Increasing MARL's profile is not a means of developing (increasing?) my ego nor that of anyone else's at MARL. One of the key functions of MARL is education. It is easy to see how our continued involvement in the Asper Foundation Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program is educating tomorrow's leaders about speaking out against discrimination of all kinds. Every time MARL makes a presentation to a legislative committee, issues a press release or does an interview with the media, we are educating: whether educating politicians or the consumers of news media, we are ensuring that human rights or civil liberties issues are not ignored.

I have recently returned from a holiday in South America, and had the opportunity to meet with a lot of fascinating people from around the globe. One of the things that I could not help but notice was how seriously people in different countries take their politics (or how apologetic some Americans can be). The graffiti that was everywhere had some of the same expressions of love (or hate) one might find here, but a large percentage of it was political. We do not see much in the way of political graffiti in Canada, and that might be an indication of us taking things for granted or simply easier access to elected officials and being able to effect change. I do have a sense, however, that we can take our rights and liberties too much for granted.

Canadians are not rabble-rousers by reputation. Our independence was gained peacefully and not through armed conflict, and we have never had to fight as hard as others have for entrenched rights. We do not take our rights and freedoms as seriously as certainly our friends to the south do. In a perfect society, we would not need to worry about potential infringements of our rights or restrictions on our liberties. Ours is not a perfect society, so a population educated in fundamental human rights and civil liberties is the best tool to ensure tolerance, a respect for our collective rights, and an understanding of why these rights are extended to all of us-even those charged with or convicted of horrible crimes.

As many of you will have seen or heard in the media, there was some upheaval involved in this year's trip to Washington DC as part of the Asper Foundation Human Rights and Holocaust Studies Program. I am happy to report that thanks to the professionalism and dedication of both our organization and our partner Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, we were able to handle a serious outbreak of the Norwalk virus with aplomb. Indeed, through immense good fortune, both program coordinators, our Dorota Praski and JHC's Renee Kaplan, avoided the virus and were healthy enough to juggle dealings with parents, hospitals, insurance companies, hotels, airlines, and most importantly, the students on the trip. As one of the chaperones that managed to remain in physical health during the outbreak, I stayed in Minneapolis when two groups of students were taken to hospital. I was able to witness first-hand what seemed to be insurmountable logistic challenges that presented themselves, only to see our Dorota Praski clear these hurdles with antelopian grace. This ranks among the most stressful 48 hour stretches of my life, and to see how well our program coordinator could deal in this kind of situation provided everyone around her (the students, the parents she spoke to, me, and others) with the confident assurance that everything would be okay; thanks to her hard work, she was right. Without question, Dorota far exceeded any reasonable expectations that could have been placed on her. Please help me thank Dorota next time you see her. Thanks are deserving too to Valerie Price for coordinating things on the ground in Winnipeg after she arrived, and to Peter Sim for updating the website on a regular basis to keep parents and others informed of the students' progress.

I will end this note with what is by now a familiar appeal: we need your help. MARL's valued membership is aging and to ensure that we continue to be a relevant and outspoken voice in the field of human rights and civil liberties, we need to continue and increase our vibrant, active and interested membership. Please consider telling a friend, family member or colleague about MARL and the important work we do and would like to do. Our outstanding Executive Director, Valerie Price, is always happy to speak with members about concerns or ideas they have, and she can be reached at the MARL office at 947-0213. Thank you again for your support.