Michael Ignatieff shakes the hand of protester Lee Asher and promises her that a Liberal government would work to free Pavel Kulisek. Photograph by: Adrian MacNair (click for high resolution)
I was in North Vancouver today doing a freelance job for a community newspaper when I saw a crowd gathering at Lower Lonsdale. Getting closer to it I could see demonstrators asking for “justice for Pavel Kulisek” with signs being waved by adults and children alike. I knew what it was about. I had read the news regarding Kulisek’s incarceration in Mexico for the past three years.
As it turned out, Michael Ignatieff was due to arrive in North Vancouver for a campaign stop. Stepping out of the bus he was flanked by protesters and by activist Lee Asher, who spoke to the Liberal leader for several minutes before shaking hands. After Ignatieff promised to free Kulisek should the Liberals form the next government, he continued into the building where he was rallying for North Vancouver Liberal candidate Taleeb Noormohamed.
I interviewed Asher afterward and this is what she said:
Mr.Ignatieff told me that he was outraged by the case and he thinks that it’s absolutely imperative that the Canadian government do something about it. So I asked Mr.Ignatieff what are the steps in the Canadian government to do something about this. He basically told me that he needs to assemble a team of people to go in, visit Pavel, let us know that he’s healthy. I stopped Mr.Ignatieff and told him we already know Pavel’s not healthy, we already know that it’s a crisis level, so what are the next steps that we need to do. And he told me that a phone call needs to be made to the Mexican Ambassador. I asked him who makes that phone call and he said the prime minister does.
So what’s interesting for me is that the Canadian government releases statements telling us they can do nothing with a sovereign country, we have to wait for the due process, but Mr.Ignatieff just told me right now that the prime minister can make a phone call to the Mexican government and can intervene.
Asher added that she believes Ignatieff would intervene because she shook her hand and made a promise, and that it’s on the record for all to see. She said a reelected Conservative government would, in her mind, have “no inkling at all to bring Pavel home.”
Click on the photo gallery below to see high resolution photos:
BONUS COINCIDENCE
Terry Milewski was doing a standup as I walked away. When I took his photo he explained there was no need because he’ll be on TV later. To which I replied, “yeah but nobody is going to get a photo like this.”
That’s a crowd? I’ve seen more people in the Tim Hortons line up in Fort Mac waiting for their morning double double.
Hahaha, yes the crowd was only about 50 thick by my count.
Adrian: Nice catch on Iggy. Photos look good. New D40?
The Terry Milewski shot is interesting from a photographers viewpoint. Notice the guy holding the reflector? That is there to shine light up into the face and fill the shadows in the eyes, under the nose and chin etc. Works great, and you can make one real cheap with stiff cardboard and tinfoil.
And Obama was going to shut down Gitmo.
CPC MP Andrew Saxon, North Vancouver
”…I first learned of this case in September 2008, prior to being elected MP, when Mrs. Kulisek visited my campaign office and explained her husband’s predicament to me. She was frustrated because she said the previous Liberal MP refused to help her…’
http://www.northvanconservative.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80:an-update-on-the-case-of-pavel-kulisek&catid=1:latest-news
The ocean was beautiful today but he couldn’t stand in front of the water because of the sun’s glare. So he was standing next to that building.
By the way, I hate to brag but I think my lead shot with the shaking hands turned out really nice. I was praying I got the handshake in focus because it only lasted about 2 seconds.
is that the ndp mp from Edmonton ,Linda Duncan in picture 105 , right over Iggy’s right shoulder ?
Ignatieff is such a liar. You can’t interfere in another country.Especially Mexico. Look at Brenda Martin.What can Iggy do differently? The guy will do and say ANYTHING for a vote. How many things has he said would be his FIRST priority if he was PM? He says the same thing to every situation. Whats next? Will he say he can walk on water? He drags Paul Martin out as the savior of heath care. What a BS liar. Martin cut 25% of health care . PM Harper even gave 10 million to cancer research above and beyond health care money. When will the media report the truth about this tax evader Martin. Surplus? Yeah right…he robbed from the workers EI $56 Billion.Thiefs, crooks and liars….”rise up” and tell the truth for once in this election.
Going after the activist vote? The Count is mowing Jack’s lawn!
Sure does look like her!
No need to brag – it’s a good shot.
One trick when shooting these types of shots is to set your apeture at f/8 or f/16. If the autofocus misses the subject, you still get them in focus. Really gotta watch those 3 little red brackets in the viewfinder when focusing. Sometimes they want to grab the wrong point to focus on.
Yawn, another loud mouthed 22 year old college bimbo “protesting”.
When you see these protesters there are a couple of facts that will very often be present.
The protester will be young and female – college/university student usually.
It will be 2:30 in the afternoon – when many other students (serious ones) would normally be in classes.
As Don Cherry once said “DON’T THESE PEOPLE HAVE JOBS?”
So shut up bimbo and run along back to your college dorm and lie down under your poster of Justin Bieber (cuz he’s sooooo dreamy) and brag to your friends how you changed the world. Then read chaper 5 of your women’s studies text – ‘kay?
Thank you so much Adrian for helping to raise awareness to this situation. Pavel Kulisek has been ignored by the Canadian government for too long. It’s time to bring him home to Canada!
In all fairness to the protesters, it was a Sunday. Asking if they have jobs is a little irrelevant if they are spending their weekends (when most people don’t work or go to school) picketing for their cause.
Read the story before commenting, that does help a bit.
The politics involved in the campaign is a distraction but maybe the Conservative should do something if they haven’t been doing so ” under the radar “. In these countries where the legal system is either corrupt, is a guilty until proven innocent system different from ours or even when it ends up being a fair legal system the process is as slow as a moving glacier, there is often little Canada can do except put pressure behind the scenes: If something is done openly that offend the local ” Pride ” or perceived as embarrassing the local regime it can be counter productive.
Another issue that whoever is in power as P.M., a great deal of the ” lack of action “, when action would be warranted, is due to our own hidebound and fossilized ( mostly Liberal hacks ) bureaucrats obsessed with process and paperwork and unable to take any intelligent initiatives: Just call it business as usual for the bureaucratic mind !
Now, a P.M. or Minister giving such a case special attention can get things moving, but if one was aware of all cases where special attention is needed the P.M. or Minister would have to be able to micromanage every file ! This is why there is a bureaucracy because no one person can control everything and normally the Government gives direction and the bureaucracy acts according to general directives. With ministries full of feet dragging liberal appointees it’s not a total surprise to me that a Conservative minority Government hasn’t been able to get full cooperation from the bureaucracy or make it more efficient.
I would add that when a case of dubious justice like this is known and brought to public attention it would be good if someone in power did something about it !
It does seem, if one believes the story, that this guy got caught up in an arrest as an incidental innocent bystander and that what should have been a quick ” catch and release ” situation became bogged down in the Mexican legal system and possibly politics ?
You are right about the jobs/Sunday thing. But my point is that it’s always the same type of people that you see doing this. A regular person with a steady job & responsibilities isn’t out shouting their head off & waving a sign.