Greetings to Colombia Communist Youth

Dear comrades,

The Young Communist League of Canada regrets that we will be unable to send a participant to your upcoming seminar. This is due to financial restraints as well as current Federal elections where we are engaged in a struggle to defeat the ultra-right Conservative Party which aims to win a majority government; this would be the most negative political event for Canadian workers, youth and students since the election of the Mulroney Conservative government which signed NAFTA.

We have been following some of the events in Colombia and the region of Latin America with great interest. The attention of the worlds progressive people is on Latin America where exciting gains are being made. We wish JUCO a very successful Congress and Seminar and send our continued solidarity and support to the struggles of Colombian youth and students for a Colombia free of Uribe and of U.S. imperialist meddling.

Long live international solidarity!

Stephen Von Sychowski
Central Organizer
Young Communist League of Canada

About the Referendum in Ecuador

About the Referendum in Ecuador

The World Federation of Democratic Youth has received with much happiness the news about the historical triumph of “Yes” with 70% of support to the new Constitution of Republic of Ecuador, which as President Correa said, expresses the wish of Ecuadorians to achieve a new nation: sovereign, fair, without misery, with production, with employment and without discrimination.

This progressive constitution has once again defeated the neoliberal model, which has lead to poverty thousands of Ecuadorians, and includes the firm decision to not allow the keeping of foreign military bases, defending the nature, the food security, the recognition of intercultural and plurinationality, which makes it one of the most progressives of the World.

WFDY expresses its recognition towards the effort that has been being done by the Government and youth of Ecuador, which are committed to create a “citizenship revolution: a radical process of change, deep and fast”. As President Correa, WFDY calls upon all its member and friend organizations and to the youth of the World to join this recognition an express its total solidarity towards the process of change lived in Ecuador.

The CC/HQ of WFDY

Budapest, September 29, 2008

WFDY, Statement on the International Financial Crisis

WFDY - World Federation of Democratic Youth

WFDY is an International NGO. It has consultative status with United Nations (ECOSOC) and operational relation with UNESCO. Presented a Peace Messenger award by UN Secretary General in 1987.

========================

WFDY statement on the International Financial Crisis

Over the last weeks there has been a growing public debate on the so called “economical crisis” that has started in the USA and had impacts in Europe and that is supposed to threaten the economy of the whole world.

This crisis, which the economists promoted by imperialism don’t seem able to explain, is in fact due to the accumulation of years of financial speculation that never produced any concrete thing, being only useful to a bunch owners of multi-national companies’ owners, who have increased even more their stupendous fortunes.

Being so, this crisis comes as natural fact of the contradictions of imperialism and can only be completely understood if analyzed in the framework of the economical functioning of the imperialist globalized economy imposed by USA, European Union and Japan to the rest of the world.

However, the “solutions” found by imperialists to solve this crisis are an offense to the people of the world, making once again the poorest pay for the crisis created by the imperialist administration and its economical allies. Moreover, they are even a contradiction with the so intensive disseminated imperialist philosophy of dismantling of the States.

The billions transferred to the bank accounts of this companies and the nationalization of banks or companies that will only bring debs to the public finances of each country are unacceptable and unfair. How many thousands of public hospitals, universities, schools, nurseries, sports centers, and culture infrastructures could have been built and kept in excellent shape with this money? How many millions of doctors and teachers could have been graduated? How many years of food and drink could have provided to mankind if that money was invested in sustainable development processes of production, especially in Africa and in Southeast Asia?

Therefore, the World Federation of Democratic Youth denounces this hideous situation and calls upon all its member and friend organizations to unite their voices to let all the youngsters of the world understand and struggle against this new face of the offense against the rights of the youth and people of the world.

With our solidarity bounds and our common struggle we will be able to defeat the imperialism intents of preserving the inequalities in which it is grounded and, therefore, we will defeat imperialism itself, building a world of peace, justice and social development.

The CC/HQ of WFDY

Budapest, October 1, 2008

Register your highschool: Student Vote

Register your highschool into student vote! This is an excellant way
to get into the debate and raise issues in your high school like jobs,
tuition fees, the war in Afghanistan which won't get talked about
otherwise.

Elections Canada and Student Vote
Partner to Engage Young Canadians in the Electoral Process

OTTAWA, Tuesday, September 16, 2008 — Marc Mayrand, the Chief
Electoral Officer of Canada, and Taylor Gunn, Chief Election Officer
of Student Vote, announced today that Elections Canada and Student
Vote are once again working together to engage young Canadians in the
federal electoral process.

Building on the success of previous projects, including for the 2004
and 2006 federal elections, Student Vote helps students who have not
yet reached voting age to learn about Canada's democracy, and lets
them cast practice ballots on official candidates running in the
federal election. Students in elementary and secondary schools across
Canada will vote in parallel elections for candidates in their
schools' electoral districts and act out roles as deputy returning
officers and poll clerks.

"Research has shown that voting habits are established early in life,"
said Mr. Mayrand. "This initiative offers young people a chance to
experience the electoral process first-hand and to better understand
the importance of participating in the democratic life of their
country. Elections Canada is proud to be a partner with Student Vote."

Participating schools will receive free, non-partisan educational
resources, including maps of electoral districts, posters,
instructional guides and a campaign DVD. Elections Canada will also
provide ballot boxes and voting screens to every participating school.
In addition to studying Canada's democratic processes, students are
encouraged to discuss election issues with their friends and families.

"This is our seventh parallel election, and the response from
students, teachers and parents has been phenomenal," said Mr. Gunn.
"More than 1,500 schools registered through our Web site last week � a
record-breaking tally for the start of the campaign. It is a privilege
to receive the support of Elections Canada and our team looks forward
to helping teachers make the best learning experience out of this
election."

Participating students will be responsible for tabulating and
reporting the voting results for their respective schools. National
and regional results are shared with media after the close of polls on
election night (October 14); regional daily newspapers publish the
results on the following day.

Schools are invited to register for this free program through the
Student Vote Web site at www.studentvote.ca or by calling toll-free at
1-866-488-8775.

YCL ALBERTA BLOG

The Young Communist League (Alberta) has launched a blog:

Check it out --

http://ycl-ljc-alberta.blogspot.com

Campaign for Peace in Federal Election!

Update from the Canadian Peace Alliance

Federal election materials are ready to be distributed. Please contact
the CPA at cpa@web.ca or 416-588-5555 to order election postcards. We
do ask for a donation to help cover the costs of the printing and
distribution. If you have already called and requested materials
please resend your request. (we had a bit of computer glitch and have
lost a few e-mails). Window signs and postcards are also available for
download from the CPA website at:
http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/Election2008Main.html

October 18 - Pan Canadian Day of Action Against the War in Afghanistan

The October 18 day of action will be a great opportunity to let the
newly elected government know that the anti-war movement will continue
to campaign for an immediate end to Canada's participation in the war
in Afghanistan. Events are being planned in cities and towns
throughout the country. Please send any events listings to cpa@web.ca.

The Call to action for the October 18 demonstrations can be found at
http://www.acp-cpa.ca/en/OCT18.html

Call Stephen Harper and Diane Finley
STOP THE DEPORTATION OF JEREMY HINZMAN AND HIS FAMILY

US Iraq war resister Jeremy Hinzman, his wife Nga Nguyen and their two
children face deportation from Canada to the United States. If
deported, Jeremy faces a court-martial and imprisonment for his
refusal to participate in the illegal and immoral Iraq war.

On July 15th, another US war resister – Robin Long – was deported by
the Harper government to the US where he was sentenced to 15 months in
jail. He also received a dishonourable discharge, the equivalent of a
felony conviction.

Canadians have repeatedly expressed their support for Iraq war
resisters. On June 3rd, a motion was adopted in the House of Commons
in favour of allowing resisters to stay in Canada, and calling on the
federal government to cease deportation proceedings. A recent poll by
Angus Reid found that two-thirds of Canadians support letting US war
resisters stay.

URGENT ACTION REQUEST:

Call Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Immigration Diane
Finley to demand:
• that they stop the deportation of Jeremy Hinzman and his family;
• that they respect the democratic will of Parliament and implement
the War Resisters motion.

Stephen Harper:
Campaign office: 1-403-266-4451
Constituency office: 1-403-253-7990

Diane Finley:
Campaign office: 1-519-429-3382
Constituency office: 1-519-426-3400

Election time!

1. YCL in Action - Election
2. What will be coming...
3. End the war in Afghanistan, NOW!

1. YCL IN ACTION

The Federal election is on us! YCL clubs across the country are
mobilizing into campaigns. Already, we are working to register four
YCL candidates who will be running under the banner of the Communist
Party in this election:

Ontario - Drew Garvie
Ontario - Johan Boyden
Quebec - Marianne Breton Fontaine
Quebec - Samie Archambault

2. COMING UP...

The YCL will be circulating a series of statements about what is at
stake this election, our message, and our politics. Stay tuned!

3. END THE WAR

Not in 2009, not in 2011
End the war in Afghanistan, NOW!

Stephen Harper said today that Canadian soldiers will be withdrawn
from Afghanistan by 2011. This contradicts previous statements by the
Harper government that have alluded to another possible extension past
2011. Harper claims that Canadians will have lost the appetite for war
in three years from now. The reality is that Canadians lost the
appetite for war a long time ago. Just weeks after Harper last
extended Canada's mission on March 13, 2008, an Angus Reid poll showed
that 58 per cent of Canadians believed it was the wrong decision.

That sentiment is still growing. A clear majority of Canadians want
the war to end, now – not in three years. At current rates, thousands
more Afghan civilians will be killed, and many more will be detained
and tortured. Nearly 100 Canadian soldiers have been killed in combat
so far. That number could more than double if we wait three more years
to leave Afghanistan.

How many more Afghan detainees will be transferred to torture? How
many more massacres – like the recent air strike at Azizabad – must
Afghan civilians suffer? And how many more Canadian families will bury
their sons and daughters before Stephen Harper stops playing politics
with other people's lives?

Harper's claim to withdraw troops in 2011 is an attempt to stifle
debate about the war during the election campaign. The Conservatives
and the Liberals are worried about the growing death toll of Canadian
troops in Afghanistan, and the growing anger among Canadians. Neither
party wants to take responsibility for sending troops into harm's way,
in a war that we cannot win.

Stephen Harper promised a "fixed date" for federal elections – then
abandoned this commitment at his convenience. How can Canadians
believe his promise of a fixed date to bring our troops home. Harper
has now twice extended the Canadian mission in Afghanistan past
so-called "fixed dates". He has committed to spend a $490 billion on
the military budget over the next 20 years - a huge financial burden
Canadian taxpayers will shoulder long after Harpers "guaranteed"
withdrawal date.

On October 14, cast your ballot for candidates that will end the war
in Afghanistan, and bring the troops home now – not in another three
years. And on October 18, join us in the streets to send the same
message to whichever party forms the government.

We can't afford another three years of war. Tell that to Stephen
Harper: end the war in Afghanistan, and bring the troops home now!

YCL-LJC ACTION ALERT

SEPTEMBER 2ND 2008

In this issue:

1. YCL IN ACTION
2. ELECTION ALERT
3. CUBA RESISTS HURRICANE

1. YCL IN ACTION

Way to go Durham YCL, who distributed over 200 Peoples Voice newspapers and
Rebel Youth magazines at their Labour Day parade yesterday. Comrades were
able to sell seven $2.00 subscriptions to marchers. They also were asked by
OPSEU Local 311 to cover in People's Voice a struggle they are fighting
about nurses shortages and closing down a mental health hospital.

YCLers in Toronto joined student leaders in staging an action outside a
military recruitment center this weekend. Protesters dropped to the ground
in the hot sun, in front of a recruitment table, shouting "Support our
Troops, Bring them Home!" The demo lasted for about ten minutes until they
were ordered to leave. The campaign "Operation Objection" has released a new
color flyer about counter-recruitment. Write jo...@ycl-ljc.ca to order some
for your club.

Members of the Central Committee of the YCL met last weekend to discuss the
way forward for the YCL in the current conditions, and with the prospect of
an looming federal election. A full report will follow. After the CC
meeting, seven YCLers from Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec joined in
a week-long Central School organized by the Communist Party. The school
covered Marxist Philosophy, Political Economy, the National Question, and
Strategy and Tactics. Participants had a great week!

Two delegates from the YCL attended the Canadian Network on Cuba convention
on Saturday and Sunday. The convention presented a new approach for the Che
Guevara work brigade, including discussion about the length, prices, and
organization of the brigade. An action report will follow up in October.

YCL BC helped organize a public forum on organizing young workers last week.
Two members of the YCL BC spoke at the forum, which was held by the
Vancouver Labour Council youth committee. A good crowd of young workers
attended and the discussion got out a message about the importance of
organizing the unorganized.

2. ELECTION ALERT

... the count-down is on! It look like the Federal election will be held in
FORTY TWO DAYS! Stay tuned for more information, as the situation
develops...

3. CUBA RESISTS HURRICANE

THE HURRICANE

In my last reflection of Tuesday afternoon, August 29, when hurricane Gustav
unexpectedly formed and started to threaten our country on the same day when
our Olympic delegation returned, I wrote: "We are lucky to have a
Revolution! It is a fact that nobody will be neglected…Our strong, forceful
and farsighted Civil Defense protects our people…The growing frequency and
intensity of these natural phenomena show that the climate is changing due
to the action of man. The current times demand ever increasing dedication,
steadiness and conscience. We don't mind if the opportunists and traitors
also benefit even if they do not make any contribution to the safety and
wellbeing of our people."

I know of the colossal efforts that the Revolution has to make after the
national territory is hit by a hurricane. I could add that Cuba counts with
keen and persevering scientists such as José Rubiera.

Hundreds of millions of working hours are lost in a brief period of time
when the wind gusts beat directly against economic and social centers in
broad areas of the national territory. Endless rains accompany these
natural phenomena. Rivers overflow and sweep away with anything they find
in their path and flood extensive areas. Thousands of facilities that
produce vegetables, milk, eggs, poultry meat and pork, as well as
sophisticated irrigation systems, are seriously damaged; tens of thousands
of hectares of sugarcane, food grains, cereals and fruit trees ready for
harvest are lost; schools, polyclinics, entertainment and cultural centers,
private housing, roofs, factories, warehouses, highways and bridges are all
damaged by the winds and the rain. This time those winds and rains affected
all provinces in a greater or lesser degree, since the hurricane made its
way through the seas nearby the southern part of the country and moved
across the westernmost province. Its eye's radius was 30 kilometers in
length, and strong winds blew over a diameter of more than 450 kilometers.

Nothing is as devastating as the damage and destruction left behind by a
hurricane. Hundreds of thousands of compatriots mobilize and work very hard
during the passing of the hurricane and afterwards during the recovery
stage. Reserves are reduced or depleted. Today, more than ever, the
damages caused on food supplies are costly and significant. But this is our
country; this is our rightful place in this planet, and we have to develop
and defend it.

The task we have ahead requires time and expertise. The true Cuba and its
noble people, which have been ready to share with others its knowledge and
even part of its resources including its own blood, were not built
overnight. That is why it has been an invincible adversary in confronting
the powerful empire that has tried all of its weapons against our country.

But there is hardly any information to the world about Cuba's merits and its
extraordinary struggle.

Two days ago, on Friday 29, none of the eleven cables published by the
international press on Cuba referred to the hurricane that was approaching
our island or the intensive efforts made by our Civil Defense, with the
generous support of millions of Cuban families led by a courageous political
vanguard.

One of the cables published by the German news agency DPA read:

"Popular Cuban Actor Arrives in Miami: 'I left because I grew tired.'"

Then it adds that a well-known Cuban television actor, Yamil Jaled, had left
Cuba for Miami to reunite with his Cuban American wife, according to a local
newspaper.

It also adds that Jaled featured in very popular TV series, theatre plays
and movies, including some blockbusters produced in France and Italy. Jaled
graduated as a performing actor at the Highest Art Institute (ISA) in 1997
and started to work as a professional actor in the Rita Montaner theatre
group, but one year later he started to work in television.

Afterwards the cable goes on to explain that he is 31 years old and
profusely describes his artistic qualities and his triumphant journey
through television, thus echoing a Yankee newspaper destined to launch a
media warfare and campaigns against Cuba. We, Cubans, could add: What
patriot! What democratic! What brilliant example is this prototype that they
presenting to us! This is the way in which they disseminate throughout the
world information about a guy far less known and important than hurricane
Gustav.

They want to turn him into a sacred cow. The deepest convictions, which
have successfully resisted the trials of time and the upheavals of life, can
not be acquired on a single day. Before that, it is necessary to surmount
many trends that we all bear in our inner self.

I do not hate other human beings, but I hate vanity, egocentricity,
selfishness, arrogance, smugness, the absence of ethics and other tendencies
human beings are born with. Only education and the example set by those who
excel in their battle to be better, will succeed and influence all of us. It
is necessary to make a minimal philosophical approach on the need to be
modest.

There are sacred cows who intend to put our Five Heroes, who were brutally
separated from their homeland and their closest relatives, on a level with
the mercenaries who have been justly punished for committing treachery and
were never submitted to personal and inhuman outrage.

What I explain in this reflection reaffirms one conviction that I would like
to convey to my compatriots, that only the just ideas defended with courage,
dignity and firmness will prevail.

Fidel Castro Ruz

August 31, 2008

7:32 p.m.

Imperialism Meddling in Caucasus

On the US/NATO aggression in the Caucasus

The outbreak of a deadly armed conflict in the Caucasus is not only a
humanitarian disaster which has already cost some 2,000 lives, but
poses a very real threat of wider wars in the region. Imperialism's
preparations and aggressions in Georgia are sparks that can eventually
ignite a much larger conflagration, demanding the sharpest
condemnation of the international labour movement and all peace and
anti-imperialist forces.

Unhindered by a strong socialist bloc of countries, imperialist
countries led by the US in the NATO military alliance are using
Georgia to prepare future aggressions, in violation of the basic
principles of international law such as those in the United Nations
Charter.

The Communist Party of Canada condemns the Georgian invasion on August
7, including bombing raids on residential areas, hospitals, and
schools in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, as an unprovoked
assault which plunged the Caucasus into war. We give full support to
calls from many countries for the complete withdrawal of Georgian
forces from South Ossetia as a first step towards a peaceful solution
to this conflict, which must not be allowed to expand into all-out
confrontation in the Middle East and Central Asia.

We also note that contrary to claims by much of the western media and
by the Bush regime, this is not a case of "Russian aggression." The
source of rising tensions in the Caucasus is not the presence of
Russian troops, which entered South Ossetia in the early 1990s as
peacekeepers after Georgia attempted to forcibly annex the area,
driving much of the population across the border into North Ossetia,
which remained within Russia.

The real origin of this conflict lies in the US/NATO imperialist
policies of expansionism. For decades, starting with the Cold War, the
US has sought to place a military ring around its rival, undermining
allies of the Soviet Union and later Russia, and imposing so-called
"pro-Western" regimes which allow US bases on their soil and rely
heavily on US military cooperation and support. Recalling the Nazi
invasion which cost their country over twenty million lives, Russia
strongly opposes such imperialist encirclement.

This is the case with Georgia, which became a U.S. client state at the
time of the illegal NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999. Israel, the
main U.S. ally in the region, has also forged close political and
economic links with the Georgian government. The high level of
US/NATO/Israeli/Georgian military integration makes it clear that the
August 7 aggression must have been known in advance and approved by
the Bush and Olmert governments. Bolstering this view is the decision
on August 9 by the United States to provide military transport
aircraft to fly many of Georgia's 2,000-strong troop contingent out of
Iraq to join the fighting at home.

The imperialist drive to plunder oil and other vital resources is a
key factor in destabilization of the region. Notably, the
Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline brings oil and gas through Georgia to the
Eastern Mediterranean, including a large part of Israel's oil imports
from Azerbaijan. Controlled by British Petroleum and built with US
support, the BTC pipeline is a vital piece of the military-political
bloc including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Israel, which the US
considers a vital counter-balance against the influence of Russia and
China in the region.

In the wake of the US/UK war against Iraq and the continuing efforts
by the occupation forces to turn over Iraq's vast oil wealth to the
transnational corporations, nobody should underestimate the desire of
the ultra-right clique around Bush, Cheney and other Republican hawks
to use events in the Middle East and Central Asia to further this
strategic push. Seen in this context, Georgia's aggression against
South Ossetia, which quickly met powerful Russian resistance, may have
been a provocation to create better conditions for expansion of the
US/ NATO military presence in the area.

The Caucasus war could also influence the US presidential election, by
tilting voter support towards Republican candidate John McCain. It is
not a stretch to wonder if these events may be intended to help lay
the groundwork for a US strike against Iran, with the long-range goal
of imperialist seizure of that country's oil reserves. Such an attack
would unleash a war of unforeseeable dimensions, costing millions of
lives and spreading far beyond the borders of the Middle East.

In pursuit of its aim of global hegemony, imperialism is playing with
fire, and Georgia's latest aggression is part of this wider pattern.
The Communist Party of Canada urges full support for international
attempts to contain and extinguish this conflict, and for an end to
all imperialist meddling in the Caucasus.

Issued by the Central Executive Committee

Communist Party of Canada

August 14, 2008

YCL-LJC Action Update "Give me $2.7 mill" - T18 informant

1. YCL IN ACTION
2. FESTIVAL UPDATE
3. TORONTO 18 - "I WANT 2.7 MILL"

YCL IN ACTION

The YCL BC successfully held a weekend summer camp at a beautiful lake
near Merritt. Comrades discussed Reform and Revolution, and action for
the BC YCL over the next year. Comrades came from Vancouver, Burnaby,
the Lower Mainland, and Trail BC. See the facebook group for photos!

The YCL-LJC is in the process of getting a new website. In a few
months we will launch our new site, which will allow for more regular
updates of the main page and other cool features! If you have comments
or suggestions for the new site, please send them to the Central
Executive, c/o johan@ycl-ljc.ca

YCL Ontario is organizing a fall school for early September for new
members. The school is planned to be held in Hamilton, at Solidarity
House, a hall run by the Communist Party, working with the FMLN and
friends in the local labour movement and other peoples groups.

This summer Marianne Breton Fontaine, Quebec Organizer, together with
Johan Boyden, General Secretary of the YCL, traveled across the
country visiting most clubs of the league. Marianne gave a short talk
about developments in Quebec student politics since the last issue of
Rebel Youth, when an article appeared discussing this issue.

YOUTH FESTIVAL UPDATE

The World Festival of Youth and students is moving forward -- but it
is a little uncertain where the next festival will be and when the
date is. This is the news from a summer meeting of the International
Union of Students and the World Federation of Democratic Youth. Due to
financial reasons, the youth festival committee in Belarus was forced
to withdraw their application, leaving India as a possible host. Stay
posted! More information will follow.

TORONTO 18 - I WANT MORE SAYS POLICE INFORMANT

'Toronto 18' informant Mubin Shaikh ups his price

MICHAEL FRISCOLANTI | July 23, 2008 |

Original Source:
http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080723_115512_115512&page=1

Two years ago, when Mubin Shaikh first went public with his tale of
anti-terror espionage, he was candid about his compensation. He told
Canadians the RCMP paid him a cool $300,000 to spy on the "Toronto
18," a group of young, tough-talking Muslims who liked to camp in the
snow (and allegedly plot jihad). But Shaikh insisted, over and over,
that cash was not his motivation. He went undercover to protect his
country and his religion, not to line his pockets. "I didn't do it for
the money," he said shortly after the arrests. "I'm not going to
negotiate with the lives of Canadians."

Today, Mubin Shaikh is ready to negotiate. Canada's most famous
informant — the public face of the nation's largest-ever terrorism
trial — is asking for a $2.4-million raise.

In a two-page letter addressed to the Mounties, Shaikh vows to abide
by a long list of conditions in exchange for the hefty, "no tax"
payment ($2.7 million, minus the $300,000 he's already received). His
promises include no more media interviews, no more drug use, and no
book or movie deals. The 32-year-old also pledges to "aggressively
defend the evidence and vocally support the role of the agencies
involved" in the case, including the RCMP and CSIS, Canada's spy
agency. "This document is intended to be a formal request for further
compensation that is 'deserved and proportional' to my involvement" in
the investigation, Shaikh writes.

The note contains no explicit threats. Shaikh, a married father of
five, does not go so far as to say he will abandon the case if the
cops don't cave. However, one of his proposed conditions is a promise
not to "bring any legal action against the RCMP/CSIS."

The authorities have yet to respond to Shaikh's letter, but this much
appears certain: police and prosecutors are growing increasingly
impatient with their prized informant. The timing of his extravagant
demand was especially bold. Shaikh sent his note to the Mounties on
June 9, just days before his widely publicized testimony at the trial
of a teenager charged in connection with the bust. "It certainly makes
a mockery of his 'I'm not doing this for the money' line," says lawyer
Michael Moon, who represents Steven Chand, one of 10 adults still
facing charges. "The Crown's devout, patriotic witness keeps on upping
his price, depending on what trial he's at."

Indeed, this is the second time Shaikh has requested a pay hike. In
the early stages of the investigation, he happily accepted $77,000 to
infiltrate the group. He bugged his minivan, befriended one of the
alleged leaders, and famously joined the suspects on a two-week winter
camping trip that prosecutors now believe was the genesis of a
sophisticated plot to detonate truck bombs in downtown Toronto. But in
June 2006, days after the high-profile raids, Shaikh went back to the
RCMP and asked them to boost his reward to an even $300,000. They
agreed.

Two years later, it's hard to imagine a repeat outcome. Despite his
undeniable charm and outspoken disdain for aspiring terrorists, Shaikh
is proving to be as much of a Crown liability as an asset. As star
witnesses go, he has become more star than witness. Since the arrests,
he has outed himself on national TV, proclaimed the innocence of some
of the accused, snorted cocaine on the taxpayers' dime, and pleaded
guilty to threatening two 12-year-old girls. During his recent
testimony at the youth trial, he also sparred with prosecutor John
Neander, who took the rare step of declaring Shaikh a hostile witness
and grilling him on some alleged inconsistencies in his statements.
Simply put, the Crown accused its own hired mole of fudging facts to
protect the defendant. A few days later, Shaikh went one step further,
telling reporters the teenage suspect deserves to be acquitted.

And now, after all that, Mubin Shaikh wants more cash — more than 30
times the dollar figure he originally agreed to. "You have to be
concerned about the motives of an informant whose sole source of
income has been taxpayer money," says defence lawyer Dennis Edney,
whose client, Fahim Ahmad, faces more charges than any of the accused.
"And if Mr. Shaikh is asking for more money, then it causes further
concern that his sole motivation in giving evidence is financial
rewards."

This case, of course, already has a controversial history of financial
rewards. A second informant, an unidentified businessman who is now
hiding in the witness protection program, was paid at least $4.1
million for his covert assistance — and only after the Mounties talked
him down from his original offer of $15 million. At the time, Shaikh
had no idea the other spy existed, let alone the fact he was being
paid millions of dollars. After the raids, when he did find out,
Shaikh claimed to have no regrets. "I've got no complaints," he said
in February 2007. "I'm not thinking: 'Oh damn, I should have asked
them for more.' Nope. I'm happy with everything."

So what changed? Why is he suddenly so anxious to fatten his bank
account by $2.4 million? His answer is typical Shaikh: self-assured,
unequivocal, and rife with references to the Quran. "My response is
simple," he said, when contacted by Maclean's. "This case is huge. It
is history being made — legal history, Canadian history and Islamic
history — and the burden it has on a person is great."

Shaikh insists — again — that money had nothing to do with his
original decision to become a police agent. "A person who does things
for money, money is the number one thing right from the beginning," he
says. "But when I went into the first negotiation I didn't go anywhere
near a lot of a money. At the time, I had no idea what this was going
to entail." Only now, Shaikh says, does he realize the full
ramifications of his co-operation. "This has shaped the rest of my
life. The next 10 years are going to revolve around this stuff. It has
become a full-time job, and I would like to know who in the courtroom
is there free of charge. I'm sure the judge is not there because of
his love for justice. I'm sure the media isn't there because of the
right for the public to know. And the lawyers aren't there because
they're crusading for justice. Everybody is there for a dollar."

Shaikh wants to be clear: he is not giving the RCMP an ultimatum. If
the force doesn't pay him another dime, he'll still show up to testify
whenever the adult suspects reach trial (or trials). "That will never
change," he says. "I am ordered by Allah to do the right thing, to
tell the truth." He still believes in the evidence, and he still
believes that most of the accused deserve to spend many more years
behind bars. But he also believes that his own time and effort — just
not his opinions — should come at a fair price. "I do feel that I
deserve more," he says. "Basically, the money is for me because I
didn't go into witness protection. What if I need to relocate the rest
of my family because my house is known? The cops wouldn't even put a
deadbolt lock in my apartment. What makes you think they're going to
do anything?"

Though he is careful with his words, Shaikh is clearly frustrated with
the RCMP. "I don't think the police take me as seriously as they
should," he says. "I don't think they realize the resource that I am.
I'm only interested in increasing their intelligence-gathering and
crime-prosecuting abilities. That is my goal, because the last thing I
want is for them to not do it properly, get to court, and have it
fizzle out." In fact, Shaikh says he's no longer angry that Neander
attacked him on the stand; if anything, the episode proved he is
committed to telling the truth, not following the government's script.
"I work with the police, not for the police."
Still, Shaikh knows what's coming. He has no doubt that many in the
Muslim community, including some of the suspects' families, will curse
him yet again. The money-hungry traitor needs to buy more coke to
snort up his nose. He smiles at the thought. "Those people are
terrorist cheerleaders," he says. "Frankly, I don't give a rodent's
buttocks what the community thinks — or anybody else. People who do
the right thing should not be swayed by what people say or what people
think, because the right thing is the right thing. And if the whole
community says it's not the right thing, then the whole community is
wrong."