We Day

WE Day is an annual series of stadium-sized youth empowerment events organized by WE Charity (formerly known as Free The Children), a Canadian charity founded by brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger. WE Day events host tens of thousands of students and celebrate the impact they have made on local and global issues[2]. Students earn their tickets by participating in the WE Schools program, a year-long service learning program run by WE Charity.[3] Each event features a lineup of social activists, speakers and musical performances.
Background
The first WE Day was held in October 2007 at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Canada. Since then, the program has expanded to include annual events in 17 cities in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, including Vancouver, London, Chicago and Seattle. The event has featured speeches by global leaders such as Al Gore, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King III[5], Kofi Annan[6] and performances by artists such as Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Lilly Singh[7], Jennifer Hudson and Nelly Furtado.[8]

WE Charity does not charge an admission fee for school groups or individual students to attend WE Days. To earn entry, schools must pledge to engage in one local and one international effort

WE Day is a free event for all students because it has corporate sponsors. To earn entry, schools must pledge one local and one international difference-making effort to pursue over the school year. WE Charity provides a limited number of tickets to each school and lets the schools decide how to choose which students attend. As of 2014, WE Days take place in 14 cities worldwide, with more than 200,000 students from 8,000 schools in attendance.[9][10]

According to the WE Charity website WE Days are funded through dedicated cash and in-kind corporate donations. No program donations from youth or private individuals are used to fund WE Day.[11]

WE Day has one of the largest nonprofit Facebook pages in the world, with over 3.5 million likes.[12] The associated "1 like = 1 dollar" fundraising campaign, where the event's sponsors donated one dollar for each like on the WE Day page, raised over $2 million for Free The Children.[13]

WE Schools
WE Day is connected to a year-long service-learning program delivered by WE Charity, called "WE Schools" (previously the WE Act program).[14] Schools that participate in WE Day are asked to undertake one local and one global action for change during the course of the school year. Admission to WE Day event is free of charge, and in return schools are asked to follow through on their commitments to these actions.

WE Schools campaigns cover a range of social issues, such as "WE Scare Hunger", in which participants collect canned food items for their local food banks each Halloween,[15] and "WE Are Silent", a vow of silence in which participants stay silent for 24 hours in solidarity with children overseas whose rights are not upheld.[16]

During the 2016-2017 school year, youth involved in the WE Schools program supported 7,221 organizations, collected 2,555,483 pounds of food, raised $24.2m, and volunteered for 8,837,826 hours

92% of Canadian and American teachers in the program report that their students feel a stronger connection to their local community and 89% report that their students are more likely to stand up for others who are discriminated against.[17]

In the 2017/2018 school year, over 4,000 UK schools and groups volunteered more than 860,000 hours and collected over 115,000 kilos of food for local foodbanks through the WE Schools program.[18]

WE Day Connect
In 2018, WE Charity launched WE Day Connect, a digital webcast intended to bring the event into classrooms and connect students in remote areas.[19] Via Skype, students view a 90-minute interactive show, with programming similar to the live stadium events, including speeches by activists, celebrities and student leaders who have volunteered on various causes.[20]

Sponsors
Canada
Royal Bank of Canada[21]
Telus[21]
Bell Media[22]
Ford[23]
The Keg Steakhouse[24]
U.S.
Allstate[25]
Microsoft[26]
Unilever[27]
Outnumber Hunger[28]
U.K.
Barclays[29]
Virgin Atlantic[29]
Editions
2007
The first WE Day took place on October 19, 2007 at Toronto's Ricoh Coliseum and involved more than 7,500 youth. The participants were students in grades 7 through 10 from more than 500 schools in the Greater Toronto Area.[30] Speakers at the event included Justin Trudeau, Senator Romeo Dallaire, Irshad Manji, Jessi Cruikshank and Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury. Performers included Canadian Idol winner Brian Melo and Hanson. The event was broadcast across Canada via a live webcast produced by MTV.[30]

2008
The second WE Day took place on October 17 at Toronto's Ricoh Coliseum. It involved more than 8,000 students in grades 7 through 12 representing 600 schools and 40 school boards.[31] The event was hosted by Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim of eTalk. Speakers for the day included Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger, Mia Farrow, Justin Trudeau, celebrity designer Nate Berkus, Jessi Cruickshank, the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and former Prime Minister of Canada John Turner.[32]

Performers included Sarah McLachlan, Crash Parallel, the Canadian Tenors and Canadian Idol winner Theo Thames. A live webcast of the event and a one-hour special was carried by CTV.[32] Participants were asked to take part in the 100-School Challenge, a fundraising initiative that challenged students to raise enough funds to help Free the Children build 100 schools around the world.[30]

2009
For WE Day 2009, WE Charity held two separate events, and began WE Day's expansion across Canada. On September 29, 2009 16,000 students attended WE Day in Vancouver to hear speakers including the Dalai Lama, Dr. Jane Goodall and Mia Farrow. Performers included K'naan, Sarah McLachlan and Jason Mraz.[33] The Dalai Lama spoke to the crowd about making the 21st century peaceful. He shared the following with the crowd: "Peace does not mean no longer any problem, no longer conflict. Some form of differences, some form of conflict, (is) always there…Now peace means when there is possibility of conflict or violence, using our common sense and... compassion."[34] On October 5, another 16,000 students attended WE Day Toronto. Speakers included holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mike "Pinball" Clemons, former Prime Minister Paul Martin and founder of Participant Media Jeff Skoll. Performers include Hedley.[34]

The event also included a surprise performance by the Jonas Brothers. The brothers appeared on a taped message broadcast throughout the stadium before they stepped out on stage to perform a two-song set.[35] Both events were carried by CTV on live webcast. The broadcaster also aired a two-hour highlight special on October 10, 2009.[36] The 2009 WE Charity initiative introduced at WE Day is called the 10 by 10 Challenge. The initiative aims to have student raise $10 and log 10 volunteer hours. This will help raise funds to fully develop 10 villages located in Africa, South America and Asia. The Kielburgers estimated that this program will impact 100,000 people.[36]

2010
WE Day 2010 kicked off in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on September 30. Among the speakers were Jacob Hoggard of Hedley and Alexandre Bilodeau. Performers included Down With Webster, Greyson Chance and K'naan. 18,000 students attended with their schools. This edition was highlighted by the introduced the WE Day dance, a choreographed dance in which the entire audience participated multiple times over the course of the event.

On October 15, WE Day returned to Vancouver. Over 18,000 students attended. Jesse Jackson, Martin Sheen, and Al Gore were among the speakers. Barenaked Ladies performed two songs including their new song "Four Seconds", and the hit "If I Had a Million Dollars". Stereos performed as well. The first bilingual WE Day was held in Montreal on November 12 at Theatre St. Denis with an audience of 2,000 students. Performers include Simple Plan and Shawn Desman, and speakers such as astronaut Marc Garneau spoke to students.

2011
WE Day 2011 started in Kitchener, Ontario, on February 17 to an audience of 6,000 student leaders. Speakers included Craig and Marc Kielburger, with performances by such artists as the Barenaked Ladies. WE Day Toronto took place at the Air Canada Centre on September 27 with 18,000 youth in attendance. Speakers included Danny Glover, Mary Robinson, Dr. Patch Adams and Waneek Horn-Miller. Performers included Kardinal, Classified and City and Colour.

WE Day Vancouver was held on October 13 with 18,000 youth at the Rogers Arena. Speakers included Shaquille O'Neal, Mia Farrow and Mikhail Gorbachev, Former Soviet President and Nobel Peace Laureate. Performers included Hedley and Down with Webster. The second We Day event in the Waterloo Region happened on November 16 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium with 6,000 students leaders. Speakers included Magic Johnson, Mia Farrow and Roméo A. Dallaire. Performers included The Midway State, Neverest and Shawn Desman. Winnipeg's first WE Day event took place on November 23 at the MTS Centre with 16,000 youth in the audience. Speakers included the Right Honourable Paul Martin, Former U.S. Vice President and Nobel Laureate, Al Gore, Hannah Taylor, Mia Farrow and Rick Hansen. Performers included Hedley, Down with Webster and Neverest.

2012
WE Day 2012 was the biggest to date with WE Day Toronto, WE Day Vancouver, WE Day Alberta, WE Day Manitoba, WE Day Waterloo, WE Day Montreal, WE Day National & WE Day Halifax. WE Day Toronto took place at the Air Canada Centre on September 28, 2012. It was attended by 20,000 youth and educators. Speakers and performers included Jennifer Hudson, Nelly Furtado, Al Gore, Hedley, Justin Trudeau, Martin Sheen and Shawn Desman. We Day Vancouver took place in Rogers Arena, on October 18, 2012.

The first WE Day in Alberta took place at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, on October 24, 2012. It was attended by 18,000 students and speakers included Liz Murray, Spencer West, Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger, Larry King and Martin Sheen. Performers included Hedley, Marianas Trench, Lights and Tim Hawkins.

2013
Main event
The biggest event, in Minneapolis, happened on October 8, 2013 and was televised. It was presented by American actresses and singers Bridgit Mendler and Debby Ryan and Canadian presenter Jesse Giddings.[37] The event was supported by recording artists Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Carly Rae Jepsen, the personalities Barbara Pierce Bush and Mark Dayton, and locals Jack Jablonski and Siddharth Paari.[38] This event also marked WE Day's global expansion.

2014
This was the biggest WE Day to date. It happened in Vancouver on October 22, 2014. It was televised, and presented by American actress and singer Selena Gomez.[39]

The inaugural WE Day UK was held on March 7, 2014 at Wembley Arena. The event was co-chaired by Holly Branson, daughter of business magnate Richard Branson, and featured speeches by Prince Harry, Malala Yousafzai and Clive Owen, among others.[40]

2015
The first WE Day Illinois took place on April 30 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, with speakers Selena Gomez, Common, Dennis Haysbert, Magic Johnson, Marlee Matlin, Tyrese Gibson, Kweku Mandela, Martin Sheen and Jennifer Hudson.[41][42]

WE Day had its first U.S. broadcast on August 21, 2015 on ABC. Hosted by Selena Gomez, the broadcast also featured Jennifer Hudson, Common, The Band Perry and a video contribution from U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.[43] The event also featured Demi Lovato, Kid President, Magic Johnson, Nick Jonas, Josh Gad, Paul Rudd and Macklemore.[44] The broadcast had 2.1 million viewers.[45]

WE Day Toronto kicked off the 2015/2016 WE Day season and was broadcast by MTV on November 25, 2015.[46] It took place on October 1 at the Air Canada Centre with Demi Lovato and Nina Dobrev hosting the event and included performances from Nick Jonas, Hozier and Shawn Mendes. The event also featured Kiesza, Carly Rae Jepsen and Tavi Gevinson as speakers.[47]

2016
The first WE Day Family event was held at the Scotiabank Arena on the evening of October 19,[48][49] and featured speeches and performances by Margaret Trudeau, Barenaked Ladies, Paula Abdul,[50] and Nelly Furtado.[48]

Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie spoke about the importance of reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous people. He performed a tribute in memory of Chanie Wenjack, an Ojibwe First Nations child who died trying to escape from a residential school in 1966.[51]

WE Day had its second U.S. broadcast on August 28 on ABC[52], and featured speeches by actors Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, Mark Ruffalo and Orlando Bloom, and musicians Big Sean and Nick Jonas.[53]

2017
The first WE Day UN was held at Madison Square Garden on September 20 during the United Nations General Assembly.The even was hosted in partnership with UNAIDS, UN Global and other UN agencies, the event featured Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, former president of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. [54][55]

WE Day Toronto was held at the Scotiabank Arena on September 28.[56] Former Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, actor Gaten Matarazzo, Olympian Andre de Grasse and actor and activist Mia Farrow spoke to the 20,000 youth and educators in attendance[57].

2018
WE Day UK featured appearances by Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York.[58] as well as actor Lily Collins and YouTube creator Connor Franta[59]

The first-ever WE Day Connect was held on May 4, with a second event on November 29. WE Day Connect is a virtual WE Day, with youth and schools tuning in to the live streamed events.[60]

The second WE Day UN took place on September 26, and was moved to the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn.[61] Held in partnership with UN agencies including UN Women, UNAIDS and UN Global Compact, the event promoted the UN’s 17 critical Sustainable Development Goals. Speakers included[62] former president of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, and human rights advocate Martin Luther King III.

2019
The 2019 WE Day UK event took place on March 6th at the SSE Arena in Wembley, London and hosted an audience of 12,000 .[63] Speakers included Naomi Campbell,[64] who paid tribute to her mother and urged the audience to work hard in the face of prejudice to achieve their dreams, and the Duke of Sussex, who spoke about mental health, climate change and community activism.[65] This was the second time the Prince appeared at a We Day event, the first time being 2014.[66] Towards the end of his speech Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance wearing a ME to WE Semiprecious Tamaa Bracelet.[67] Singers Liam Payne, Selena_Gomez and Nicole Scherzinger were also part of the celebrity line-up. Gomez introduced Nellie Mainor, a young fan who had a rare kidney disease.

WE Day California took place on April 25th at The Forum in Los Angeles. The event was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and Guest speakers included Chance the Rapper, Natalie Portman, Joe Jonas.[68]

Allstate Arena in Illinois is the venue for the following WE Day during 2019. Speakers and hosts include: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Monique Coleman, Arne Duncan, Laurie Hernandez, Olivia Holt, Rupi Kaur, Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger, Kheris Rogers, Kendrick Sampson, Angel Schlotterback, Alexandra Shipp, Margaret Trudeau, Elaine Welteroth and Tom Wilson.

Jagmeet Singh

Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal[2] MP (born January 2, 1979), professionally known as Jagmeet Singh (/dʒəɡˈmiːt sɪŋ/ jəg-MEET SING), is a Canadian lawyer and politician serving as leader of the New Democratic Party since 2017 and as the Member of parliament (MP) for the riding of Burnaby South since 2019.[3] He was previously an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Bramalea—Gore—Malton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2011 to 2017.[4]

Singh began his career as a criminal defence lawyer for different law firms. His political career began in 2011 where he contested the 2011 federal election in the federal riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton which resulted in a narrow victory for Conservative opponent Bal Gosal;[5][6] he became MPP in the overlapping provincial riding later that year.[6][7] In 2015, he became deputy leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, serving under leader Andrea Horwath until 2017. Singh announced his candidacy for the federal New Democratic Party leadership following a leadership review that resulted in a leadership election to replace Tom Mulcair. Singh was elected leader on October 1, 2017, with a first round vote of 53.8% in a field of four.

Upon his election, Singh became the first person of a visible minority group to lead a major Canadian federal political party on a permanent basis, and the second overall after the Bloc Québécois’s former interim leader Vivian Barbot.[8][9] Singh is also the first turban-wearing Sikh to sit as a provincial legislator in Ontario. He has been widely recognized in Canadian media for his fashion and style sense.[10][11] Ideologically, Singh identifies as both a progressive and a social democrat.[12] He advocates raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, decriminalizing personal possession of all drugs, and supports eliminating several tax deductions available to the highest-income earners.
Early life
Singh was born on January 2, 1979, in Scarborough, Ontario, to Harmeet Kaur and Jagtaran Singh,[15] immigrant parents from the Indian state of Punjab. His mother is from Ghudani Khurd, in Punjab's Ludhiana district, while his father is from Thikriwala, in Barnala district.[16] His great-grandfather was Sewa Singh Thikriwala, a revolutionary who fought against British occupation in India.[17] After a year as a toddler living with his grandparents in India, Singh spent his early childhood in St. John's and Grand Falls-Windsor, both in Newfoundland and Labrador, before relocating with his family to Windsor, Ontario.[2][18] Singh went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Western Ontario in 2001 and a Bachelor of Laws degree from York University's Osgoode Hall Law School in 2005. He was called to the Bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2006.[19]

Singh has two younger siblings, brother Gurratan and sister Manjot, who were both born during the family's time in Newfoundland. He also has a cousin brother named Harteerath Singh who is currently completing High School in India.[18] Gurratan, who is also a lawyer and politician, has been described as Jagmeet's "secret weapon".[20][21] Gurratan Singh was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 Ontario election, representing the riding of Brampton East.[22]

Singh worked as a criminal defence lawyer in the Greater Toronto Area before entering politics, first at the law firm Pinkofskys, then at his own practice, Singh Law, which he established with Gurratan.[2][23] During his time as a lawyer he offered free legal rights seminars across Ontario and provided pro bono legal counsel for people and community organizations in need. In a Toronto Star article published January 9, 2012, Singh stated that his background in criminal defence contributed to his decision to enter politics, particularly his work advocating for the protection of rights entrenched in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[10]

Political career
Early federal politics
Singh provided pro bono consulting to an activist group that protested the visit to Canada of Kamal Nath, the Indian trade minister who had persecuted Sikhs and had allegedly led armed mobs during the 1984 Delhi pogrom.[24][25] After failing to get their views heard, Singh was inspired to run for office by the activist group so their concerns could be better represented.[24]

Singh began his political career with his decision to run for Member of Parliament in the 2011 federal election as the NDP candidate in the riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton.[24] During the election, Singh stopped using his surname, Dhaliwal (which is connected to caste), because he wanted to signal his rejection of the inequality inherent in the Indian caste system. Instead, he chose to use Singh, which reflects the spiritual belief in an egalitarian society where all enjoy equitable access to rights and justice.[24] Although he was defeated by Conservative candidate Bal Gosal by 539 votes, Singh finished ahead of incumbent Liberal MP Gurbax Singh Malhi.[5][6]

Provincial politics
Singh ran in the 2011 Ontario provincial election as the NDP candidate in the overlapping provincial riding, and defeated Liberal incumbent Kuldip Kular by 2,277 votes.[6][7] Singh became the first Ontario NDP MPP to represent the Peel Region as well as the first turban-wearing MPP.[6][26] In the 40th Parliament of Ontario, Singh was appointed as the NDP critic for the Attorney General of Ontario and for the Consumer Services.[27] Singh also served as his party's deputy house leader.

In March 2012, Singh introduced a private member's bill called "An Act to Amend the Insurance Act" to address high auto insurance rates. This bill would have removed the industry practice of basing insurance rates on geographic location. The bill failed to pass second reading.[28]

In March 2013, Singh introduced a motion calling on the Liberal government to reduce auto insurance premiums by 15%.[29] Singh's motion was accepted by the legislature, and the 15% reduction was to be included in the Liberal Government's 2013 Provincial bu

Andrew Scheer

Andrew James Scheer PC MP (born 20 May 1979) is a Canadian politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle since 2004. He is Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Official Opposition since 2017.

Elected to the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle at the age of 25, Scheer was re-elected in 2006, 2008, and 2011 before becoming the Speaker of the House of Commons at age 32, making him the youngest Speaker in the chamber's history.[1][2] He held the speaker role for the entirety of the 41st Canadian Parliament. On 28 September 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, running under the slogan "Real conservative. Real leader."[3]

Scheer has described himself as focused on economic development, fiscal restraint, and reducing inefficiencies in government.[4][5] A staunch opponent of the federal carbon tax, he has stated that he would balance the federal budget within two years of forming a government and open up the airline industry to foreign competition.[6][7][8] Scheer has been likened to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[9][10][11] On 27 May 2017, he was elected Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Early life and career
Scheer was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Mary Gerarda Therese (Enright), a nurse, and James D. Scheer[13] ("Jim"[14]), a librarian, proofreader, and Roman Catholic deacon.[15][16] According to a 2019 Maclean's article Scheer's family would have earned considerably more than the median income for most Canadian Families.[17] Scheer has two sisters.[18] Part of Scheer's family is from Romania.[19][20] Scheer spent summers in his youth with his maternal grandparents in Mississauga.[21]

Scheer graduated from Immaculata High School (later receiving the "Distinguished Catholic Alumni" award for it in 2012[22]) and then studied history at the University of Ottawa. While a student, Scheer worked on several political campaigns, including the Unite the Right campaign to merge the Progressive Conservative and Reform parties and Preston Manning's campaign to lead the Canadian Alliance. He also worked in the correspondence department of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition under Stockwell Day.[15][23] Scheer also worked on Ottawa city councillor Karin Howard's youth advisory committee.

Scheer ran as a school trustee for the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board in the 2000 Ottawa municipal elections,[24] but lost to incumbent Kathy Ablett.[25]

After meeting his future wife Jill Ryan at university, Scheer moved to her hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan, and finished his BA at the University of Regina. In Regina, Scheer worked as an insurance broker, a waiter, and in the constituency office of Canadian Alliance MP Larry Spencer.[26][15]

Political career
First years in the House of Commons
Scheer was elected at age 25 as a Conservative candidate in the federal election of 2004, in the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle, beating New Democratic Party MP Lorne Nystrom—the longest-serving member of the House of Commons at the time—by 861 votes.[1] Near the end of the race, Scheer accused Nystrom of being soft on child pornography.[27] He was re-elected in the federal election of 2006, once again defeating Nystrom, this time by a margin of 2,740 votes.[28]

In April 2006, during the 39th Canadian Parliament, Scheer was named as Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole, one of three deputy speakers and one of the youngest Members of Parliament to serve in that role in Commonwealth history. Also, he sponsored a bill that would create minimum sentences for those convicted of motor vehicle theft called Bill C-343, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (motor vehicle theft),[29]

On 21 November 2008, during the 40th Canadian Parliament, he was named Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chairman of Committees of the Whole, succeeding New Democrat MP Bill Blaikie.[30]

Speaker of the House of Commons
When the Conservative Party won a majority at the federal election in 2011, Scheer's experience as Deputy Speaker led many to consider him the front-runner to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons.[2][31] On 2 June 2011, Scheer defeated Denise Savoie, the lone opposition candidate and only woman in the sixth round of balloting. Scheer became the youngest House Speaker in Canadian history and the first speaker to represent a Saskatchewan riding.[32] Liberal MPs, who opposed Scheer's candidacy, criticized the NDP for voting for their own party member instead of tipping the balance toward Conservative MP Lee Richardson based on the MPs' beliefs that Scheer was "Harper's Boy".[33]

During his tenure, some individual opposition MPs were critical of some of his decisions. Liberal MP Irwin Cotler questioned his impartiality due to a decision over a robocall incident with Campaign Research (it was reported that Scheer was a client of the firm).[34] NDP Leader Tom Mulcair criticized him for failing to intervene with Conservative MP Paul Calandra, who failed to answer Mulcair's questions during Question Period and instead responded with non-sequiturs about supporting Israel.[35] In addition, journalists pointed out there were similar incidents with his treatment of other opposition politicians.[36] Scheer responded by stating that previous Speakers have ruled that they have no authority over the content of what politicians say, and he is bound by that precedent.[37][38]

During the 2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal, opposition politicians raised concerns over Scheer's interventions to block questions after The Globe and Mail revealed that his riding association loaned $3,000 to Marty Burke while Burke's campaign was under scrutiny by Elections Canada over the incident.[39]

After 2015
Scheer was re-elected in the 2015 federal election in which the Conservative government was defeated.[40] He was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons by Leader of the Official Opposition and interim Conservative party leader Rona Ambrose. He thought about running for the position of interim Party Leader but was dissuaded by fellow caucus MP Chris Warkentin, who pointed out that the interim leader cannot take the permanent position.[41] On 13 September 2016, he announced his resignation outside a party caucus meeting in Halifax in order to explore a bid for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party.[42]

2017 leadership election
n 28 September 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and that he had the support of 32 members of the Conservative caucus.[3][43] On 27 May 2017, Scheer was elected as the second full-time leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, beating runner up Maxime Bernier and more than 12 others with 50.95% of the vote through 13 rounds.[12] Bernier later attributed his failure to the "fake conservatives" in the supply management dairy lobby and agricultural sector. In fact, Scheer garnered laughs at the annual Press Gallery dinner with this gag:[44]

“ I certainly don't owe my leadership victory to anybody...", stopping in mid-sentence to take a swig of 2% milk from the carton. "It's a high quality drink and it's affordable too. ”
During the race, Scheer did not personally attend the Campaign Life Coalition's March for Life but sent Garnett Genuis to show his support for the group and make statement on his behalf.[45] Scheer benefited from the unexpected support of Brad Trost during the leadership race. It was reported that some of Trost supporters contravened the Elections Act and party membership rules by offering incentives to vote. Dimitri Soudas, a former Stephen Harper aide, pointed out that it violated election rules and it benefited Scheer's campaign but the ballots had been destroyed so the result stood
Scheer was criticized by opposition politicians for removing his campaign platform after winning the Conservative leadership race.[47][48] Tory strategists suggested that the ideas proposed by Scheer during the race likely won't be part of the Tories 2019 election platform.[49] It was later revealed in a Dairy Farmers of Canada briefing document after the 2018 Conservative Convention in Halifax that “The powers of the leader are far reaching in preventing policy from being in the party platform. DFC [Dairy Farmers of Canada] has been told by the Leader’s office that he will exercise this power, and that this policy will not be in the Conservative election platform regardless of the outcome at convention,”.[50]

The day after the election it was revealed that Hamish Marshall, Scheer's campaign manager, was listed as an IT specialist and one of the directors of the far right news outlet The Rebel Media.[51][52][53] On 16 October 2017, The Globe and Mail asked Scheer if he knew that Marshall worked for the Rebel during the leadership campaign, he responded: "I didn't ask Hamish about every client he had" and then ended the interview. Later, a conservative spokesperson clarified that Scheer was aware that the Rebel was one of Marshall's many clients, but did not know the specifics.[54][55] The day after, Marshall was named Conservative campaign chair for the 43rd Canadian federal election.[56] On 21 March 2018, in an interview with Macleans, Scheer stated that Marshall and his past relationship with the Rebel should not be conflated with his selection as campaign chair.[57]

Leader of the Official Opposition
After the Charlottesville, Virginia "Unite the Right" rally, Scheer denounced The Rebel Media due to its sympathetic coverage of the rally,[58] and stated that he would stop doing interviews with The Rebel Media until its "editorial directions" changed.[59] The day after Scheer stated that he would not be granting interview with the Rebel going forward in an interview with the National Post.[60]

On 4 January 2018, he expelled Senator Lynn Beyak from the conservative caucus, after she refused to remove one of her letters that suggested Indigenous people want to get things for "no effort". He also stated that "Racism will not be tolerated in the Conservative caucus or Conservative Party of Canada".[61] Scheer said that his office was only aware of the letters on 2 January, but Garnet Angeconeb, a residential school survivor, stated that he emailed Scheer and Conservative Senate Leader Larry Smith about them on 15 September 2017, and did not get a response.[62] In response, Beyak said neither Scheer nor anyone from his office contacted her to take down a letter.[63] A senior Conservative source confirmed Beyak's accusation

Pekin Express 2019

Pékin Express : La route des 50 volcans est la 12e édition de Pékin Express présentée par Stéphane Rotenberg.

Le tournage a débuté le 19 février 2019 au lac Atitlán et s'est terminé le 24 mars 2019 à Bogota.

La deuxième partie de soirée est animée par Mehdi (candidat de la saison 11) et Hoang (candidat de la saison 5).

Cette saison a été remportée par le deux soeurs Laetitia et Aurélie.
Un résultat en vert signifie que cette équipe a remporté l'immunité.
Un résultat souligné en vert signifie que cette équipe a remporté une épreuve spéciale.
Un résultat en vert italique signifie qu'une équipe a remporté l'immunité, qu'elle a été dispensée du reste de l'étape, mais lors d'une étape spéciale où il n'y a aucune remise d'amulette.
Un résultat = signifie que deux équipes sont arrivées ex aequo ou qu'elles ont obtenu le même nombre d'enveloppes noires en demi-finale
Un résultat en bleu signifie que cette équipe a perdu le Duel Final à une étape non-éliminatoire et a obtenu un handicap pour l'étape suivante
Un résultat en bleu souligné et italique signifie qu'elle a été éliminée à la fin de cette étape mais a pu réintégrer la course à l'étape suivante grâce à la règle de l'équipe cachée.
Un résultat en rouge signifie que cette équipe a été éliminée au Duel Final.
Un résultat 3e avec une * signifie que cette équipe a été éliminée par tirage au sort lors de la demi finale.
Un résultat en rouge souligné signifie que cette équipe a dû abandonner.
Un résultat en noir souligné signifie que cette équipe avait le drapeau noir.
Un résultat en rose signifie que cette équipe a participé au Duel Final et l'a remporté.
Un résultat avec un e violet signifie que cette équipe avait le drapeau rouge.
Un résultat en gris signifie que cette équipe a été éliminée, mais qu'elle à réintégrer la course à l'étape suivante à cause d'un abandon.
Un résultat HC signifie que l'équipe était hors-course à la fin de l'étape.
Un résultat T signifie que cette équipe a remporté le téléphone Express en début d'étape.
Un résultat en gras signifie que l'équipe à reçu une où plusieurs amulettes de la part d'équipes éliminées.
Notes
Lors de la quatrième étape, Mounir et Lydia et Kleofina et Julia étaient les équipes aux destins liés, pour pouvoir communiquer entre eux les deux binômes ont eu le téléphone express mais sans le traducteur et le GPS.
Mounir et Lydia qui ont été éliminés lors de la cinquième étape ont pu réintégrer la course suite à l'abandon médical de Steve et Martine.
Un A gris correspond à une amulette de fin d'étape (10 000 €).
Un A rouge correspond à une extra-amulette (10 000 €).
Un A vert correspond aux amulettes récupérées par des candidats après l'élimination d'une équipe (Ce A sera suivi d'un chiffre, correspondant au nombre d'amulettes reçues).
Un X violet signifie que l'équipe a été éliminée durant cette étape, mais repêchée pour l'étape suivante suite à l'abandon d'une autre, et à ainsi pu récupérer son amulette.
Un X rouge signifie que l'équipe a été éliminée durant cette étape.
Le parcours
Cette section est vide, insuffisamment détaillée ou incomplète. Votre aide est la bienvenue ! Comment faire ?
Les différentes étapes
Étapes au Drapeau du Guatemala Guatemala
1re étape (Démarrage surprise de la course à l'aube) : Lac Atitlán (Panajachel - San Antonio Palopó) - Antigua - Santa Cruz Verapaz - Cobán
2e étape (Chasse à l'homme au Guatemala) : Cobán - Pajal - Sayaxché - Semuc Champey - Flores - Tikal - San Felipe de Lara
3e étape (À la découverte de Livingston, un village coupé du monde) : San Felipe de Lara - Rio Dulce - Livingston - Puerto Barrios - Guatemala City
Étapes au Drapeau du Costa Rica Costa Rica
4e étape (Destins liés lors d'un trek infernal au volcan Arenal) : Guadalajara (Lac Arenal) - La Fortuna (Parc national Volcán Arenal) - Playa Palo Seco - Quépos (Parc Manuel Antonio)
5e étape (Pékin Express en pleine ruée vers l'or) : El Cocal - Golfe Dulce - Puerto Jiménez - Parc Corcovado - Dos Brazos - Cartago - Ujarrás
6e étape (Qui veut gagner ses passeports ?) : Cartago - San José - Cartago - Barva - Guácima - San José
Étapes en Drapeau de la Colombie Colombie
7e étape (Premiers pas en Colombie) : Carthagène des Indes - Taganga - Mompox - Santa Ana
8e étape (Les candidats voient rouge en quarts de finale) : Mompox - Playa de Belén - Bucaramanga
9e étape (Demi-Finale noire en Colombie) : Bucaramanga - Barichara - Socorro - San Gil - Chiquinquirá - Fúquene - Zipaquirá
10e étape (Finale volcanique à Bogota) :
La demi-finale : "Demi-Finale Infernale en Colombie"
C'est en Colombie, pour la 9ème étape de cette 12ème saison, que démarre la Demi-Finale, à Bucaramanga.

La répartition des gains initiale est la suivante :

40 000€ pour Mounir et Lydia (1 amulette de fin d'étape + 3 amulettes léguées par des équipes éliminées)
30 000€ pour Laetitia et Aurélie (3 amulettes de fin d'étape)
0€ pour Thomas et Mathieu (aucune amulette)
Comme toutes les demi-finales depuis la saison 7, cette avant-dernière étape se compose 3 courses avec à chaque fois, une mission a effectuer sur un lieu donné afin de connaitre l'adresse de l'arrivée. Il y'a également 3 extra-amulettes d'une valeur de 10 000€ chacune et 3 enveloppes noires. A la fin de chaque course, le binôme qui terminera premier remportera une extra-amulette tandis que le binôme qui terminera dernier devra sélectionner une enveloppe noire. A la fin de l'étape, les enveloppes noires seront ouvertes. Deux d'entre elles sont "Non Éliminatoire" et une autre est "Éliminatoire". Le binôme qui aura tiré l'enveloppe "Éliminatoire" sera éliminé et n’accédera pas à la grande Finale à Bogota. Pour être sûrs d'aller en finale, les binômes devront donc ne jamais arriver dernier et, le cas échéant, avoir de la chance. Il n'y a évidemment pas de Duel Final à la fin de cette étape.


Course 1 : Bucaramanga - Barichara - Socorro

En partant de Bucaramanga, les binômes doivent rejoindre Barichara, village très connu pour son café qui a inspiré l'épreuve des candidats sur cette course : Dans chaque binôme, un candidat aura les yeux bandés et devra traverser un parcours d'obstacles avec un plateau de café. Leurs partenaires auront pour mission de les guider vocalement sur ce parcours. Une fois qu'ils ont atteint l'arrivée, le porteur de café doit le verser dans un récipient. Les équipes doivent répéter l'opération jusqu'à ce que le café versé atteigne la limite désignée sur le récipient. Les concurrents pourront alors récupérer l'adresse de l'arrivée, qui se situe à Socorro.

Classement - Course 1 :

1er: Laetitia et Aurélie (Extra-Amulette) : 10 000€)

2e : Thomas et Mathieu

3e: Mounir et Lydia (Enveloppe noire n°1)


Course 2 : Socorro - Puente Miranda - Chiquinquirá

Le lendemain du premier sprint, les concurrents se lancent dans le deuxième sprint en partant de Socorro. Leur mission est de faire du rafting sur une rivière sur 5 km. Les équipes doivent trouver deux personnes qui vont également faire du rafting avec eux (ces personnes peuvent être recrutées n'importe où). Une fois ces 5 km en rafting parcourus, les candidats doivent remplir une autre mission : un candidat doit prendre de l'eau de la rivière dans un seau et la lancer à un autre candidat qui lui, devra la récupérer dans un autre seau et la déposer dans un récipient jusqu'à ce que le "robinet" du récipient coule. Ensuite, il pourront reprendre le stop pour atteindre l'arrivée, située à Chiquinquirá.

Classement - Course 2 :

1er: Laetitia et Aurélie (Extra-Amulette) : 10 000€)

2e : Mounir et Lydia

3e: Thomas et Mathieu (Enveloppe noire n°2)


Course 3 : Chiquinquirá - Lac de Fúquene - Zipaquirá

Après une nuit chez l'habitant, la remise de l'amulette et de l'enveloppe noir du sprint n°2, le sprint n°3 démarre à Chiquinquirá. Les candidats ont pour mission de se rendre au Lac de Fúquene (où se trouve d'ailleurs le panneau "Voiture Interdite"). Une fois sur place, ils doivent emprunter un pédalo et parcourir 7 km pour trouver des sacs contenant les pièces d'un casse-tête. Les concurrents doivent également s'orienter dans le lac, à l'aide d'une carte et d'un GPS. Le pédalo possède aussi une fine barre de fer autour d'un cercle, si la barre touche le cercle, les candidats doivent s'arrêter une minute. Une fois les sacs trouvés, les candidats doivent revenir au point de départ et assembler le casse-tête (représentant un volcan) sur une table, le faire valider avant de repartir. Une fois la mission accomplie, ils doivent se rendre dans la ville de Zipaquirá, connue pour son église de sel.


Classement - Course 3 :

1er: Thomas et Mathieu (Extra-Amulette) : 10 000€)

2e : Mounir et Lydia

3e: Laetitia et Aurélie (Enveloppe noire n°3)

Une fois les 3 sprints terminés, les concurrents sont réunis et procèdent à l'ouverture des enveloppes. Chaque binôme a ainsi 1/3 d'être éliminé, puisque les 3 binômes ont chacun une enveloppe noire.


Résultat des enveloppes :

Enveloppe noire n°1 : Non éliminatoire (tirée par Mounir et Lydia)

Enveloppe noire n°2 : Éliminatoire (tirée par Thomas et Mathieu)

Enveloppe noire n°3 : Non éliminatoire (tirée par Laetitia et Aurélie)

Thomas et Mathieu sont donc les éliminés de cette 9ème étape. Ils remettent leur amulette gagnée quelques instants plus tôt à Laetitia et Aurélie, qui cumulent donc 60 000€ de gain potentiel et qui affronteront en finale à Bogotá Mounir et Lydia, qui possèdent une cagnotte virtuelle de 40 000€.

La finale : "Finale Volcanique à Bogota"

Panthere noir

La panthère noire, appelée aussi léopard noir, est un léopard (Panthera pardus) atteint de mélanisme, qui est une mutation génétique lui conférant une robe globalement noire. Fréquent chez cette espèce, ce phénotype se retrouve aussi chez le Jaguar (P. onca)1.

زين العابدين بن علي

زين العابدين بن علي (3 سبتمبر 1936 -19 سبتمبر 2019)، رئيس الجمهورية التونسية منذ 7 نوفمبر 1987 إلى 14 يناير 2011، وهو الرئيس الثاني لتونس منذ استقلالها عن فرنسا عام 1956 بعد الحبيب بورقيبة، عين رئيسًا للوزراء في أكتوبر 1987 ثم تولى الرئاسة بعدها بشهر في نوفمبر 1987 في انقلاب غير دموي حيث أعلن أن الرئيس بورقيبة عاجز عن تولي الرئاسة. وقد أعيد انتخابه وبأغلبية ساحقة في كل الانتخابات الرئاسية التي جرت، وآخرها كان في 25 أكتوبر 2009.

صنفت جماعات حقوق الإنسان الدولية وكذلك الصحف الغربية المحافظة مثل الإيكونومست النظام الذي يترأسه بن علي بالاستبدادي وغير الديمقراطي. وانتقدت بعضا من تلك الجماعات مثل منظمة العفو الدولية وبيت الحرية والحماية الدولية المسؤولين التونسيين بعدم مراعاة المعايير الدولية للحقوق السياسية وتدخلهم في عمل المنظمات المحلية لحقوق الإنسان. وباعتبارها من النظم الاستبدادية فقد صنفت تونس في مؤشر الديمقراطية للإيكونومست لسنة 2010 في الترتيب 144 من بين 167 بلدا شملتها الدراسة. ومن حيث حرية الصحافة فإن تونس كانت في المرتبة 143 من أصل 173 سنة 2008.

حتى 15 مايو 2018، بلغت مجموع الأحكام الصادرة في حق بن علي 5 مؤبد و207 سنة سجن و6 أشهر و218 مليون دينار تونسي خطية.

توفي في 19 سبتمبر 2019 في المنفى وذلك بأحد مستشفيات مدينة جدة، في المملكة العربية السعودية بعد معاناة مع المرض.
التعليم وفترة الخدمة العسكرية
ولد بن علي في مدينة حمام سوسة بتاريخ 3 سبتمبر 1936. وعندما كان طالبا في ثانوية سوسة انضم إلى صفوف المقاومة الوطنية ضد الحكم الفرنسي على تونس كحلقة اتصال الحزب الحر الدستوري الجديد المحلي، مما آل إلى طرده من المدرسة وأدخل السجن. وقد أكمل الدراسة الثانوية بينما هناك نفي لحصوله على أي مؤهل علمي وأنه ترك مقعد الدراسة في الصف الخامس. ثم نال بن علي الدبلوم من المدرسة العسكرية في سان سير (École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr) ثم من مدرسة المدفعية في شالون سور مارن بفرنسا، وأرسله حماه الجنرال كافي بدورة إلى المدرسة العسكرية العليا للاستخبارات والأمن في بلتيمور بالولايات المتحدة، ومدرسة المدفعية الميدانية (تكساس، الولايات المتحدة) ليستلم بعد انتهائها الأمن العسكري التونسي حيث تولى رئاستها 10 سنوات. ثم خدم لفترة قصيرة كـملحق عسكري في المغرب وإسبانيا ثم عين مديرا عامًا للأمن الوطني في 1977.

عين كسفير إلى وارسو، بولندا لمدة أربع سنوات. ثم عين بعدها كوزير دولة ثم وزير مفوض للشؤون الداخلية قبل أن يعين وزيرا للداخلية في 28 أبريل 1986 ثم رئيسا للوزراء في حكومة الرئيس الحبيب بورقيبة في أكتوبر 1987.

عندما تولى مهامه كانت تونس تعاني من أزمة اقتصادية خانقة كادت تعصف بالبلاد. ويعتبر من الرؤساء المنفتحين على الغرب، فقد غير من تونس كثيراً وجعلها من أكثر الدول العربية المنفتحة على أوروبا، في عهده منع الحجاب الذي يصفه بالزي الطائفي، يتهمه خصومه السياسيين بشن حرب على الإسلام السياسي ورموزه. كما أنه قام بخطوات تجاه بعض التيارات الإسلامية حيث أعاد الصوفية إلى البلاد، وسمح للكنائس في تونس بالقيام بعباداتها.

الوصول إلى السلطة
في فجر اليوم السابع من نوفمبر 1987، تمّ الشروع في تنفيذ خُـطة استهدفت إزاحة الرئيس الأول للجمهورية التونسية الحبيب بورقيبة بعد أن بلغ من العمر عتيا، ثم استمع التونسيون لأول مرة عبر موجات الإذاعة لصوت الرئيس بن علي وهو يقرأ نص بيانه الشهير. هذا البيان الذي تضمّن مُعظم تطلعات التونسيين ونُخبتهم، بعد أن أشرف النظام السياسي والاقتصادي والاجتماعي على الانهيار الكامل، ومنذ ذلك التاريخ، دخلت تونس في دورة جديدة دون أن تقطع مع العهد السابق. حيث فتح الرئيس بن علي لأول مرة قصر قرطاج للأحزاب والمثقفين من غير المُنتمين للحزب الدستوري الحاكم منذ استقلال البلاد عن فرنسا في مارس 1956.

في أجواء حرب الخليج الثانية، اندلعت المواجهة بين السلطة وحركة النهضة، فكان ذلك إيذانا بنهاية سريعة لفُسحة نادرة وبداية تغيير جوهري لأسلوب تعامُل النظام مع المعارضة والمجتمع المدني، حيث بدا جليا أن زين العابدين بن علي لم يكن يرغب بتداول السلطة، لكنه في المقابل كان في البداية، وقبل أن تستقِر أوضاعه نهائيا، يميل لإشراك أطراف عديدة في اللّعبة، بما في ذلك الإسلاميون. لكن بعد أن بدا له زخم التيار الإسلامي واتساع قاعدة فضل المواجهة.

الحياة السياسية
أقام أول انتخابات تعتبر قانونيا تعددية سنة 1999 بعد ما يربو على 12 سنة من استلامه للحكم وصفها البعض بأنها انتخابات تعددية مخلصة للأحادية  حيث أن نتائجها كانت قد اعتبرت محسومة سلفا لصالحه وقد أجرى تعديل دستوري بالفصلين 39 و40 من الدستور لإزالة الحد الأقصى لتقلد المنصب الرئاسي ومنحه الحق في الترشح لانتخابات  2009 ومنح تراخيص عمل لعدة أحزاب غير فاعلة ونشاطها السياسي ضئيل كـ(حزب الخضر والاتحاد الديمقراطيين الاشتراكيين..) وقرر مواصلة حظر حركة النهضة وحزب العمال الشيوعي التونسي لنظرا لشعبيتهما العالية لدى الأوساط الدينية وخاصة العمالية وقام بمنع صحيفة الموقع التي يديرها الحزب التقدمي والمعارض الأبرز أحمد نجيب الشابي من النشر عدة مرات وكذلك قضية اغتيال شاب تونسي تمكن من اختراق الشبكة المعلوماتية لقصر قرطاج واكتشف أسماء عملاء إسرائليين بالموساد يعملون للتجسس على قادة منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية بتونس في الثمانينات وادعت السلطات التونسية أنه قتل في حادث سيارة.  وما زالت قضايا حقوق الإنسان بتونس تأخذ جدلا واسعا وخاصة اعتقال المعارضين وتزايد أعداد سجناء الرأي أفلق الإدارة الأمريكية خلال الزيارة الأخيرة لوزيرة الخارجية الأمريكية السابقة كوندوليزا رايس. رغم أن تونس أقرت بالحوار مع الشباب سنة 2009 ومنحت حق الانتخاب لمن يبلغ 18 سنة إلى أن ذلك يهدف حسب المراقبين إلى جعل الجيل الجديد في غيبوبة سياسية متفاديا الثورات الطلابية كالتي برزت في أواخر العهد البورقيبي لكي يواصل بن علي رئاسة البلاد سنوات أخرى. في عهد بن علي تحكم في الاقتصاد 3 عائلات "الطرابلسي" وبن عياد" وبشكل ضئيل "بن يدر" وجميعها متصاهرة ولديها ميليشيات خاصة تتجسس على المواطنين من خلال المقاهي ومكتبات الجامعات، كما أن شركات الاتصالات والإنترنت والسياحة ومساحات زراعية شاسعة يملكها أصهار الرئيس وذلك لحكم البلاد اقتصاديا بقبضة من حديد ويؤاخذ الكثير من الحقوقيين اغلاق تونس مكتب قناة الجزيرة بتونس وحجب موقعي "youtube" و"dailymotion" وذلك من أجل اغلاق جميع الأبواب أمام التونسيين لمعرفة حقائق النظام التونسي. تستعد تونس لاستقبال قاعدة الأفريكوم القيادة العسكرية الأميركية في إفريقيا بعد أن بقيت 5 عقود بشتوتغارت الألمانية ومقرها الجديد هو قاعدة سيدي حمد ب بنزرت رغم نفي تونس وعدم نفي أو تأكيد الولايات المتحدة إلى أن هذه الخطوة لقيت رفضا من المواطنين خصوصا وأن وجود قوات أمريكية بسواحل كاب سرات وجالطة أكد ذلك.

الثورة الشعبية وهروبه من تونس
قام الشاب محمد البوعزيزي يوم الجمعة 17 ديسمبر/كانون الأول عام 2010 بإحراق نفسه تعبيراً عن غضبه على بطالته ومصادرة عربته التي يبيع عليها ومن ثم قيام شرطية بصفعه أمام الملأ، مما أدى في اليوم التالي وهو يوم السبت 18 ديسمبر 2010 لاندلاع شرارة المظاهرات وخروج آلاف التونسيين الرافضين لما اعتبروه أوضاع البطالة وعدم وجود العدالة الاجتماعية وانعدام التوازن الجهوي وتفاقم الفساد داخل النظام الحاكم.

تحولت هذه المظاهرات إلى انتفاضة شعبية شملت عدة مدن في تونس وأدت إلى سقوط العديد من القتلى والجرحى من المتظاهرين نتيجة تصادمهم مع قوات الأمن، ومما زاد في تفاقمها وفاة الشاب محمد البوعزيزي الثلاثاء 4 يناير/كانون الثاني 2011 نتيجة الحروق، وقد أجبرت الانتفاضة الرئيس التونسي زين العابدين بن علي على إقالة عدد من الوزراء بينهم وزير الداخلية وتقديم وعود لمعالجة المشاكل التي نادى بها المتظاهرون، كما أعلن عزمه على عدم الترشح لانتخابات الرئاسة عام 2014.

لكن الانتفاضة الشعبية توسعت وازدادت شدتها حتى وصلت إلى المباني الحكومية مما أجبر الرئيس زين العابدين بن علي -الذي كان يحكم البلاد بقبضةٍ حديدية طيلة 23 سنة- على التنحي عن السلطة والهروب من البلاد خلسةً، حيث توجه أولاً إلى فرنسا التي رفضت استقباله خشية حدوث مظاهرات للتونسيين فيها، فلجأ إلى السعودية وذلك يوم الجمعة الموافق للـ 14 من كانون الثاني/يناير 2011 م.

وصلت طائرة زين العابدين بن علي إلى جدة بالسعودية، وقد رحب الديوان الملكي السعودي بقدوم بن علي وأسرته إلى الأراضي السعودية.

جاء في بيان للديوان الملكي السعودي نشرته وكالة الأنباء السعودية "أنه انطلاقاً من تقدير حكومة المملكة العربية السعودية للظروف الاستثنائية التي يمر بها الشعب التونسي الشقيق وتمنياتها بأن يسود الأمن والاستقرار في هذا الوطن العزيز على الأمتين العربية والإسلامية جمعاء وتأييدها لكل إجراء يعود بالخير للشعب التونسي الشقيق فقد رحبت حكومة المملكة العربية السعودية بقدوم فخامة الرئيس زين العابدين بن علي وأسرته إلى المملكة. وأن حكومة المملكة العربية السعودية إذ تعلن وقوفها التام إلى جانب الشعب التونسي الشقيق لتأمل ـ بإذن الله ـ في تكاتف كافة أبنائه لتجاوز هذه المرحلة الصعبة من تاريخه."

الحكم بعد بن علي
بعد هروب زين العابدين بن علي إلى السعودية في 14 يناير 2011 م أعلن الوزير الأول محمد الغنوشي عن توليه رئاسة الجمهورية بصفة مؤقتة وذلك بسبب تعثر أداء الرئيس لمهامه وذلك استنادًا على الفصل 56 من الدستور التونسي والذي ينص على أن لرئيس الدولة أن يفوض الوزير الأول في حال عدم تمكنه من القيام بمهامه، غير أن المجلس الدستوري أعلن إنه بعد الإطلاع على الوثائق لم يكن هناك تفويض واضح يمكن الارتكاز عليه بتفويض الوزير الأول وإن الرئيس لم يستقل، وبما أن مغادرته حصلت في ظروف معروفة وبعد إعلان الطوارئ وبما أنه لا يستطيع القيام بما تلتزمه مهامه ما يعني الوصول لحالة العجز النهائي فعليه قرر اللجوء للفصل 57 من الدستور وإعلان شغور منصب الرئيس، وبناءً على ذلك أعلن في يوم السبت 15 يناير 2011 عن تولي رئيس مجلس النواب محمد فؤاد المبزع منصب رئيس الجمهورية بشكل مؤقت وذلك لحين إجراء انتخابات رئاسية مبكرة خلال فترة من 45 إلى 60 يومًا حسب ما نص عليه الدستور.

التتبعات القضائية والمحاكمات
اشتهرت عائلة بن علي بالفساد. وهذا هو السبب التي تمخضت عنه الثورة الشعبية التونسية في جميع أنحاء تونس احتجاجا على سرقة الأموال التونسية. وغادر الكثير من أفراد أسرة بن علي البلاد طلبا للأمان خلال فترة الاحتجاجات.

ليلى بن علي (ليلى الطرابلسي) زوجة الرئيس ورئيسة جمعية بسمة، وهي جمعية تعزز الاندماج الاجتماعي، وتوفير فرص العمل للمعاقين. وشغلت أيضا منصب رئيسة منظمة المرأة العربية، المنظمة العاملة على تمكين المرأة من تعزيز التقدم في الدول العربية. وفي يوليو 2010 أسست "جمعية سيّدة لمكافحة السرطان" (التي تحمل اسم والدتها) لتحسين الرعاية لمرضى السرطان في تونس. ولدى ليلى بن علي ثلاثة أطفال: نسرين وحليمة ومحمد زين العابدين. وللرئيس بن علي أيضا ثلاث بنات من زواجه الأول: غزوة ودرصاف وسيرين. وقد هربت ليلى بن علي إلى الخارج برفقة بناتها، نتيجة الثورة التونسية

Ben Ali

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Arabic: زين العابدين بن علي‎, Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali, was a Tunisian politician who was President of Tunisia from 1987 until his ousting in 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and he assumed the Presidency on 7 November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba, who was declared incompetent.[2] Ben Ali was subsequently reelected with enormous majorities, each time exceeding 90% of the vote; the final re-election was on 25 October 2009.[3]

On 14 January 2011, following a month of protests against his rule, he was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia along with his wife Leïla Ben Ali and their three children. The interim Tunisian government asked Interpol to issue an international arrest warrant, charging him for money laundering and drugs trafficking. A Tunisian court sentenced Ben Ali and his wife in absentia to 35 years in prison on 20 June 2011 on charges of theft and unlawful possession of cash and jewellery.[4][5] In June 2012, a Tunisian court sentenced him in absentia to life imprisonment for inciting violence and murder and another life sentence by a military court on April 2013 for violent repression of protests in Sfax.[6]
Ben Ali was born in 1936 to moderate-income parents[7] as the fourth of eleven children in the family.[8] His father[1] worked as a guard at the port city of Sousse.[9]

Ben Ali joined the local resistance against French colonial forces and was imprisoned.[10] His expulsion from secondary school was the reason why he never completed his secondary education.[10] He studied at the Sousse Technical Institute but failed to earn a professional certificate[11] and joined the newly formed Tunisian Army in 1958.[12] Nevertheless, after being chosen as[clarification needed] a group of young officers,[9] he was awarded training in France at Special Inter-service School in Coëtquidan and the Artillery School in Châlons-sur-Marne, and also in the United States at the Senior Intelligence School in Maryland and the School for Anti-Aircraft Field Artillery in Texas. He also held a diploma in electronics engineering from a local university.[13] Returning to Tunisia in 1964, he began his professional military career the same year as a Tunisian staff officer.[12] During his time in military service, he established the Military Security Department and directed its operations for 10 years. He briefly served as military attaché in Tunisian embassy of Morocco and Spain before being appointed General Director of National Security in 1977.[14][15]

In April 1980,[13] Ben Ali was appointed ambassador to Poland, and served in that position for four years.[16] He also served as the military intelligence chief from 1964 to 1974 and later Director General of national security between December 1977 and 1980 until he was appointed as Minister of Defense.[17][18] Soon after the Tunisian bread riots in January 1984, he was reappointed director-general of national security.[19] Ben Ali subsequently served as Minister of State in charge of the interior before being appointed Interior Minister on 28 April 1986 then Prime Minister by President Habib Bourguiba in October 1987.[16]

Rise to the presidency
Main article: 1987 Tunisian coup d'état
On 7 November 1987, doctors attending to Bourguiba filed an official medical report declaring him medically incapacitated and unable to fulfill the duties of the presidency. Ben Ali, as the next in line to the presidency, removed Bourguiba from office and assumed the presidency himself.[20][21] The day of his accession to power was celebrated annually in Tunisia as New Era Day.[22] Two of the names given to Ben Ali's rise to the presidency include "the medical coup d'état" and the "Tunisian revolution".[23][24] Ben Ali favoured the latter.[23] In conformity with Article 57 of the Tunisian Constitution, the peaceful transition occurred. The country had faced 10% inflation, external debt accounting for 46% of GDP and a debt service ratio of 21% of GDP.[25]

In 1999 Fulvio Martini, former head of Italian military secret service SISMI, declared to a parliamentary committee that "In 1985–1987 we organized a kind of golpe[26] in Tunisia, putting president Ben Ali as head of state, replacing Burghiba (the Italian spelling of the name) who wanted to flee". Bourguiba, although a symbol of anti-colonial resistance, was considered incapable of leading his country any longer, and his reaction to the rising Islamic integrism was deemed "a bit too energetic" by Martini; Bourguiba's threat to execute the suspects might have generated strong negative responses in neighbouring countries. Acting under directives from Bettino Craxi, Italian Prime Minister, and foreign minister Giulio Andreotti, Martini claims to have brokered the accord that led to the peaceful transition of powers.[27]

Bettino Craxi had visited Algiers in November 1984, and was warned by president Chadli Benjedid that Algeria was ready to invade that region of Tunisia that was crossed by the pipeline towards Italy, if Bourguiba was not able to guarantee the stability of his own country. Algeria was trying to diversify its foreign policy, feeling isolated by Spain and French President François Mitterrand's accord with Morocco and Libya over Chad. For two years, according to Martini, Italian and Algerian secret services worked together in order, on one hand, to avoid the growing destabilisation of Tunisia spilling over into Algeria, and on the other hand to control pro-Palestinian activities in Italy. Finally, Ben Ali was singled out as possible replacement for Bourguiba: as chief of the Tunisian secret services and as Minister of the Interior, he had opposed plans to execute Islamic fundamentalists. SISMI's action did not have the consent of René Imbot, head of the French secret service, and the USA allegedly was not informed.[citation needed]

According to Martini, the SISMI did not have an operational role in Ben Ali's rise to power, but organised a move to support his new government politically and economically, preventing Tunisia from falling into an open confrontation with fundamentalists, as happened in Algeria in the following years.[28]

Presidency
PoliBen Ali initially promised a more democratic way of ruling the country than had prevailed under Bourguiba. One of his first acts upon taking office was to loosen restrictions on the press; for the first time state-controlled newspapers published statements from the opposition.[21] In 1988, he changed the name of the ruling Destourian Socialist Party to the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), and pushed through constitutional amendments that limited the president to three five-year terms, with no more than two in a row.

However, the conduct of the 1989 elections was a little different from past elections. The RCD swept every seat in the legislature, and Ben Ali appeared alone on the ballot in Tunisia's first presidential election since 1974. Although opposition parties had been legal since 1981, presidential candidates were required to get endorsements from 30 political figures. Given the RCD's near-absolute dominance of the political scene, prospective opposition candidates discovered they couldn't get their nomination papers signed. The subsequent years saw the return of several Bourguiba-era restrictions. For many years, the press had been expected to practice self-censorship, but this increasingly gave way to official censorship. Amendments to the press code allowed the Interior Ministry to review all newspaper and magazine articles before publication.[29] In 1992, the president's older brother Habib Ben Ali was tried in absentia in France for laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking, in a case known as the "couscous connection". French television news was blocked in Tunisia during the trial.[30]

At the 1994 elections, opposition parties polled 2.25% and gained 19 of 163 seats in Parliament—the first time opposition parties had actually managed to get into the chamber. Ben Ali was unopposed for a second full term, again after being the only candidate to get enough endorsements to qualify. Turnout was officially reported at 95%.[31] However, at this and subsequent elections, opposition parties never accounted for more than 24 percent of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies. All legislation continued to originate with the president, and there was little meaningful opposition to executive decisions.

In 1999, Ben Ali became the first Tunisian president to actually face an opponent after the 30-signature requirement was lifted a few months earlier.[29] However, he won a third full term with an implausible 99.4 percent of the vote.

A constitutional referendum in 2002—the first ever held in Tunisia—established a two-chambered parliament, creating the Chamber of Advisers. It also allowed the president to run for an unlimited number of five-year terms and amended the upper age limit for a presidential candidate to 75 years old (previously 70). The latter measures were clearly aimed at keeping Ben Ali in office; he faced having to give up the presidency in 2004.[32][33] He was duly reelected in 2004, again by an implausibly high margin—this time 94 percent of the vote.

Tunisia under Ben Ali had problems with human rights violations, such as freedom of the press, highlighted by the official treatment of the journalist Taoufik Ben Brik, who was harassed and imprisoned for his criticism of Ben Ali.[34] By the dawn of the new millennium, Ben Ali was reckoned as leading one of the most repressive regimes in the world. Under his rule, Tunisia consistently ranked near the bottom of most international rankings for human rights and press freedom.

On 25 October 2009, Ben Ali was re-elected for a fifth term with 89% of the vote.[35] The African Union sent a team of observers to cover the election. The delegation was led by Benjamin Bounkoulou, who described the election as "free and fair".[36] However, a spokesperson from the US State Department indicated that Tunisia had not permitted monitoring of the election by international observers, but that the U.S. was still committed to working with the Ben Ali and the Tunisian government.[37] There also were reports of mistreatment of an opposition candidate.[38]

In December 2010 and January 2011, riots over unemployment escalated into a widespread popular protest movement against Ben Ali's government. On 13 January 2011, he announced he would not run for another term in 2014, and pledged steps to improve the economy and loosen restrictions on the press. The following day, however, thousands demonstrated in the center of Tunis, demanding Ben Ali's immediate resignation. On 14 January 2011, Ben Ali, his wife and children[39] fled to Saudi Arabia, and a caretaker ruling committee headed by Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi was announced.

Economy
As president, Ben Ali instituted economic reforms that increased Tunisia's growth rate and foreign investment. During his administration, Tunisia's per capita GDP more than tripled from $1,201 in 1986 to $3,786 in 2008.[40] Although growth in 2002 slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9% due to drought and lackluster tourism (partly due to some tourists being nervous about flying in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York), better conditions after 2003 helped push growth to about 5% of GDP. For about 20 years after 1987, the GDP annual growth averaged nearly 5%. A report published in July 2010 by the Boston Consulting Group (The African Challengers: Global Competitors Emerge from the Overlooked Continent) listed Tunisia as one of the African "Lions" and indicated the eight such countries account for 70% of the continent's gross domestic product.[41] Steady increases in GDP growth continued through positive trade relations with the European Union, a revitalised tourism industry and sustained agricultural production. Privatization, increasing foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency and reduction of the trade deficit presented challenges for the future.[42][43] The 2010/11 Global Competitiveness Report (Davos World Economic Forum) ranked Tunisia 1st in Africa and 32nd globally out of 139 countries[44] but it dropped to 40th in 2011/12 as a result of political instability[45] and was not ranked in 2012/13.[46]

According to the Oxford Business Group, Tunisia's economy was likely to grow from 2008 due to its diversified industries.[47][48][49] Committed to fighting poverty at home, Ben Ali instituted reforms including the National Solidarity Fund which slashed the Tunisian poverty rate from 7.4% in 1990 to an estimated 3.8% in 2005. The National Solidarity Fund was part of a dual strategy to fight current and potential terrorism through economic assistance, development and the rule of law, but also increased opportunities for corruption and clientelism.[50] The fund provided opportunities to those living in impoverished areas and are vulnerable to recruitment by terrorists. It was a critical element in the fight against terrorism.[51]

However, Tunisia continued to suffer from high unemployment, especially among youth. Left out of the recent prosperity were many rural and urban poor, including small businesses facing the world market. This and the blocking of free speech were the causes of the Tunisian revolution.[citation needed]

Diplomacytics
During Ben Ali's presidency, Tunisia pursued a moderate foreign policy promoting peaceful settlement of conflicts. Tunisia took a middle of the road approach contributing to peacemaking, especially in the Middle East and Africa. Tunisia hosted the first-ever Palestinian American dialogue. While contributing actively to the Middle East peace process, Tunisian diplomacy has supported the Palestinian cause. As host to the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1982–1993, Ben Ali's government tried to moderate the views of that organisation.[52] Tunisia, since the early 1990s, called for a "concerted" international effort against terrorism. It was also a key US partner in the effort to fight global terrorism through the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative.[53]

Ben Ali mostly retained his predecessor's pro-western foreign policy, though he improved ties with the Arab-Muslim world. He took several initiatives to promote solidarity, dialogue and cooperation among nations. Ben Ali initiated the creation of the United Nations World Solidarity Fund to eradicate poverty and promote social development based on the successful experience of the Tunisian National Solidarity Fund.[54][55] Ben Ali also played a lead role in the UN's proclaiming 2010 as the International Year of Youth.[56]

International characterisations
Ben Ali's government was considered to have one of the worst human rights records in the world, and largely bucked the trend toward greater democracy in Africa. It was deemed authoritarian and undemocratic by international human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Freedom House, and Protection International. They criticised Tunisian officials for not observing international standards of political rights[57][58][59] and interfering with the work of local human rights organisations.[60] In The Economist's 2010 Democracy Index, Tunisia was classified as an authoritarian regime, ranking 144th out of 167 countries studied. In 2008, in terms of freedom of the press, Tunisia was ranked 143 out of 173.[61][62]

Ousted from the presidency
Main article: Tunisian Revolution
In response to the protests, Ben Ali declared a state of emergency, dissolved the government on 14 January 2011, and promised new legislative elections within six months. However, events moved quickly, and it appears the armed forces and key members of the legislature had lost confidence in Ben Ali and had decided to take steps of their own. With power slipping from his grasp, Ben Ali resigned the presidency at about 16:00 and delegated prime minister Mohamed Ghannouchi to act as head of state during his "temporary" absence. With the army surrounding the Presidential Palace in Tunis, Ben Ali and close members of his family hastily left and headed to Laouina airport (annexed to the civil airport of Tunis Carthage). The military allowed Ben Ali's plane to take off, immediately after which the Tunisian airspace was closed. The presidential plane headed first to France. But after the plane was denied landing rights on French territory, it directly flew to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ben Ali and his family were accepted by King Abdullah to live there under the condition that he should keep out of politics. Ben Ali and his family went to exile in Jeddah, the same city where Idi Amin, the late dictator of Uganda, lived in exile until his death in 2003, after being removed from power in 1979, at the end of the Uganda–Tanzania War.[63]

Other close associates and family members who attempted to leave the country via Tunis–Carthage International Airport were prevented from doing so by the army, which had seized the airport.[64][65]

Succession confusion
At about 18:00, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi went on state television to say "Since the president is temporarily unable to exercise his duties, it has been decided that the prime minister will exercise temporarily the (presidential) duties."[66]

However, this arrangement was very short-lived, because early the following day (15 January 2011) the Constitutional Court of Tunisia determined that Ben Ali was not "temporarily unable" to exercise his duties and that the presidency was in fact vacant. The arrangements he had made with the Prime Minister before leaving the country were found to be unconstitutional under article 57 of the constitution. The country's constitutional court, the highest legal authority on constitutional matters, announced the transition saying that Fouad Mebazaa (the Speaker of Parliament) had been appointed interim president.[66]

Mebazaa took the oath in his office in parliament, swearing to respect the constitution in the presence of his senate counterpart, Abdallal Kallel, and representatives of both houses. It was also announced that the speaker of parliament would occupy the post of president temporarily and that elections would be held within a period of between 45 and 60 days.[66]

Arrest warrant
On 26 January 2011, the Tunisian government issued an international arrest warrant for Ben Ali, accusing him of taking money out of the nation illegally and illegally acquiring real estate and other assets abroad, Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said.[67] Videos show that the president stashed cash and jewellery in the president's palace. The gold and jewellery will be redistributed to the people by the government.[68] The Swiss government announced that it was freezing millions of dollars held in bank accounts by his family.[69] On 28 January 2011, Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Ben Ali and his six family members, including his wife Leïla.[70]

Trial
After Ben Ali fled Tunisia following the Tunisian revolution, he and his wife were tried in absentia for his suspected involvement in some of the country's largest businesses during his 23-year-long reign.[5] On 20 June 2011, Ben Ali and his wife were sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of theft and unlawful possession of cash and jewelry.[4][5] The verdict also included a penalty of 91 million Tunisian dinars (approximately €50 million, and $64 million) that Ben Ali was required to pay.[4] This verdict was dismissed as a "charade" by some Tunisians dissatisfied with the trial and as a "joke" by Ben Ali's lawyer.[71] The sentences were to take immediate effect, although Ben Ali and his wife were living in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi government ignored Tunisia's requests to extradite them.[71]

In November 2016, Ben Ali made a statement via the office of his lawyer, Mounir Ben Salha, acknowledging his regime made "errors, abuses and violations".[72] His statement came as a reaction to the public hearing sessions made by the Truth and Dignity Commission in Tunisia.

Family

Ben Ali's wife Leïla
Ben Ali and his family are accused of corruption,[73] which was a major contribution to the 2010–2011 Tunisian protests which led to the fall of his government. Many of Ben Ali's family members subsequently also fled the country. On 20 January 2011, Tunisian television reported that 33 members of
Leïla Ben Ali was the chair of the Basma Association, a group that promotes social integration and provides employment opportunities for the disabled.[75] She was also the president of the Arab Women Organization, which works to empower women in Arab states.[76] In July 2010, the first lady founded the "Saida" Association (named after her late mother) to improve care for cancer patients in Tunisia.[77] She has three children: Nesrine, Halima and Mohamed Zine El Abidine. (Ben Ali has three daughters from his first marriage: Ghazwa, Dorsaf and Cyrine.) Leïla Ben Ali allegedly took 1.5 tonnes of gold from the central bank when she and her family fled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[78] One of her nephews, Imed Trabelsi, was arrested during the 2010–2011 protests in Tunisia.

Health and death
On 17 February 2011, it was reported that Ben Ali had suffered a stroke, and had been hospitalised for an indefinite period.[79] Al Jazeera reported that a Saudi source had confirmed that Ben Ali had indeed sustained severe complications of a stroke and that he was in critical condition.[80] The information was never been confirmed or denied by the Saudi Government. However, on 17 June 2011, Ben Ali's attorney, Jean-Yves Leborgne, stated that Ben Ali "is not in the state that he's said to be in" and that "a meeting with his client took place under 'normal circumstances'".[81]

Ben Ali died at a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, due to prostate cancer on 19 September 2019 at the age of 83