OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government should ban U.S. rapper 50 Cent from touring Canada later this year because he has a criminal record and glorifies gun violence, a legislator from the ruling Liberal party said on Wednesday.

50 Cent, who was once shot nine times on the street in a gang incident, is the star of the recent film "Get Rich or Die Tryin,"' a fictionalized and violent portrayal of his career.

Junior Foreign Minister Dan McTeague said the rapper's message was inappropriate at a time when Toronto, Canada's largest city, was experiencing a surge in shooting deaths.

"I do want the laws of Canada to apply to anybody who is a criminal, an admitted criminal, as Mr Curtis Jackson -- known as 50 Cent -- is. Under our laws ... he would be deemed criminally inadmissible," he told CBC television.

Canadian law dictates that anyone with a criminal record needs a special permit from the office of Immigration Minister Joe Volpe to enter the country. McTeague has written to Volpe urging him not to grant the permit.

Volpe declined to discuss the case with reporters but said he too was concerned by the rising gun violence in Toronto, where 49 people have been killed so far this year, many of them young black men.

Although 50 Cent has acknowledged spending time behind bars, the current status of his criminal record is not clear. Representatives for the star did not immediately reply to requests for clarification.

McTeague criticised 50 Cent for "the message at this time that he brings, one of glorifying gun violence, often (the) denigration of women" and said the last time he gave a concert in Toronto in 2003, one person was killed outside the theater.

The rapper is due to start a Canadian tour in December.

Last month the distributor of "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' took down some movie billboards near Los Angeles-area schools after community leaders complained they glorified gangs and violence. The posters showed 50 Cent holding a microphone in one hand and a gun in the other.

"If we have young people as young as 14 leading gangs in my community around Toronto, we have to take into consideration that the message is often going to very impressionable people who think nothing of human life," said McTeague.

The rapper told Reuters on Tuesday that parents should buy their children his new video game and use it as a teaching tool. In the game, 50 Cent is depicted making his way through New York's underworld with armed guards and guns blazing.

Gotta love Canada.

Canada may not waste millions of dollars on war but it has quite a few skeletons in its closet. Growing up, the image of Canada was always a positive one but lately, I've realized it's soo far from perfect.

ITA. Canada's got it's own problems (like what the hell the government is doing to Aboriginals).

I also know what you mean about immigrants getting employment. This guy who works with my little brother at SUBWAY (who works like 12 hr shifts to provide for his family) has a masters and PH'd but can't get any work because he lives in Quebec and you need french. I mean, the government needs to accomodate these people if they want them to find jobs.

I do not disagree with anything that said. Harmonizing foreign credentials is probably one of the largest policy issues currently at work in government. Immigration and skills problems are not isolated to Canada, I would say. Just talk to any of the posters on this board from the southern states who see illegal immigration and the poor working standards there.

Our Immigration policy is improving and will continue to improve. It is not perfect nor is it ideal or close to it. But this is a country where the vast majority are free from persucution and intolerance where individuals of any ethnic origin or faith are welcome to practice their believes safely. This, sadly, cannot be said about many countries in this World.

Canada has its fair share of problems, but 50cent is not one of them. And the original poster quipped that Canada's legislators might not have anything important to deal with... and I take great offence to that. The crime and immigration issues are but two issues in a long list of issues that are currently being tackled. As is my post above listing the legislation (since the poster was concerned about legislators, not policy options) that Canada has passed in recent months.

I do not disagree that Canada has problems, but in the framework of the original post I refuse to accept that Canada's government is actually concerned about 50cent when, as proof by my other post, they've been actively legislating important issues.

As for your policy concerns in Immigration and Crime... policy comes before legislation and you can be rest assured that policy options and debates are raging like mad, and will continue to rage after the election. But really, can anyone admit Parliament and Government have not been busy lately? We only need to look at day-care, same sex laws, health care accord, new deal for cities, and the recent immigration policy to see the tip of the ice berg.

Toronto crime, it should be noted, is a tragedy but any expert would admit government intervention is limited in this case. Federal government intervention is even more so. This is a larger issue that will be dealt with by all three levels of government, all citizens, all stakeholders and the media... can't blame government for everything.

Again this is what we call a scapegoat. Instead of actually doing something about the crime rate and gun control, they spend all their energy in trying to stop some rapper from singing a few songs? This reminds me of when Marilyn Manson was blamed for the deaths of the kids at Columbine. Why don't politicans address the real issues? So stupid.

I agree. It's easy to point a finger and blame as oppossed to confronting the sensitive issues at hand.

50 is an ass but he is not to blame for civilization's violent nature.

ITA. Canada's got it's own problems (like what the hell the government is doing to Aboriginals).

Ughh...don't even get me started on the Aboriginal issue. It seems like so many people think they need to get over the residential schools situation since they're getting tons of money from the government...if people continue to think like that, this problem will never be solved.

Our Immigration policy is improving and will continue to improve. It is not perfect nor is it ideal or close to it. But this is a country where the vast majority are free from persucution and intolerance where individuals of any ethnic origin or faith are welcome to practice their believes safely. This, sadly, cannot be said about many countries in this World.

Unfortunately, this celebration of multiculturalism seems nothing more than a coverup for obvious discrimination. Haven't heard much on how the immigration policy is improving but if what the IM said on W-Five is any indication of how things will change, I really have little faith on that issue being resolved.

Ughh...don't even get me started on the Aboriginal issue. It seems like so many people think they need to get over the residential schools situation since they're getting tons of money from the government...if people continue to think like that, this problem will never be solved.

Got this from yahoo...

KELOWNA, B.C. (CP) - The federal government commited more than a billion dollars to native health issues Friday despite disagreement over who will provide the services and to which aboriginal groups.

The cash is part of a 10-year plan negotiated with the 13 provinces and territories and five national aboriginal organizations that pledges about $5.1 billion over the next five years to alleviate native poverty. "I believe we have made an unprecedented step forward," said Prime Minister Paul Martin at a news conference that closed the two-day summit with premiers and native leaders.

"Aboriginal Canadians have no desire for more rhetoric. They have needs and those needs demand attention. It's as simple as that."

The final communique and an accompanying press release promise to provide:

-$1.8 billion to close the educational gap so that by 2016, aboriginal high school graduation rates are the Canadian norm and post-secondary graduation is much closer to non-native rates.

-$1.6 billion for housing and infrastructure, including changes to housing policy so natives can own their homes and $400 million to improve water quality on reserves.

-$170 million more for aboriginal organizations, land claims negotiators and a First Nations multilateral forum that will meet annually.

-$200 million for unspecified economic development initiatives.

-$1.3 billion for health, with goals of reducing infant mortality rates, youth suicide, childhood obesity and diabetes while doubling the number of health professionals by 2016.

But health service provision proved the sticking point, with the blueprint that was agreed to described in the final communique as "a work in progress."

While there was broad agreement on how to tackle the housing and education shortfalls, the provision of health services to reserve natives, Inuit scattered across the north, Metis and off-reserve First Nations in Canada's cities is proving a jurisdictional quagmire.

Officials held talks at this lake-side resort in the Okanagan Valley until early Friday morning without achieving a consensus.

Only British Columbia - which signed a separate, stand-alone deal with Ottawa and three provincial native groups here Friday - was confident enough to put in writing where the federal dollars will flow.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the focus should not be on the health impasse.

"It is human nature and perhaps profoundly Canadian to focus on what we have left undone rather than to celebrate what we have in fact done," he said.

For the first time ever, said McGuinty, first ministers have agreed to targets and time frames on improving aboriginal lives and there exists a strong consensus to act immediately.

Yet with Martin's minority government set to fall Monday, the $5.1 billion commitment is not guaranteed.

Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said the high-profile summit cannot be ignored no matter which party wins the federal election.

"The country is watching us here," said Fontaine. "The commitments that are made are significant and it's going to be very, very difficult for any government to retreat from those commitments here."

But Fontaine also acknowledged some provinces remain skittish about elements of the program, particularly health provisions which both provincial premiers and native leaders fear could lead to Ottawa down-loading its historic responsibilities.

"It's important that in the next few months we resolve the issue of who's responsible for what matters," said Fontaine. "We believe we can achieve that."

The provinces manage health care services but the federal government is responsible for the health and welfare of Canada's native population - more than half of which lives off-reserve.

George Smitherman, Ontario's minister of health, said the health dollars will have to be negotiated on a province-by-province basis.

"No one should underestimate how challenging that negotiation is going to be," he said.

But Martin did manage to dodge at least one potential public relations disaster here by keeping all the participants at the table.

Beverley Jacobs, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, had been planning to walk away from the summit table on Friday morning to protest the lack of attention to violence against women in aboriginal negotiations.

But she said a promise from Martin had changed her mind.

"We had requested that there be a specific aboriginal women's summit, and the prime minister did agree to that (Thursday)," said Jacobs.

"So we'll be putting the pressure on to make sure that happens."

Jacobs said the association's ultimate goal is a national inquiry into the missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada.

She also left the meeting wondering what will be achieved on health care.

"I didn't see the final health blueprint document," said Jacobs.

"They keep saying it's a work in progress. How can we agree to a communique that there's really no final conclusions to anything. It's just sort of up in the air. That's my worry."

Ughh...don't even get me started on the Aboriginal issue. It seems like so many people think they need to get over the residential schools situation since they're getting tons of money from the government...if people continue to think like that, this problem will never be solved.

ICAM!! These people were basically abused in every sorta of way and it was all done by the hands of the Canadian government. I don't think it will take any amount of money to simply erase their memories, scars and disabilites.

However, at the same time I can understand the frusturations of the non-aboriginals who are on the outside looking in and seeing that aboriginal people are enjoying many things that non-aboriginals cannot (special tax breaks, having an option to live somewhere tax free, post-secondary paid for in full, being paid to go to school by the gov't). In addition, I know TONS of aboriginals who abuse many of these things and I think that only adds to the negativity.

ICAM!! These people were basically abused in every sorta of way and it was all done by the hands of the Canadian government. I don't think it will take any amount of money to simply erase their memories, scars and disabilites.

However, at the same time I can understand the frusturations of the non-aboriginals who are on the outside looking in and seeing that aboriginal people are enjoying many things that non-aboriginals cannot (special tax breaks, having an option to live somewhere tax free, post-secondary paid for in full, being paid to go to school by the gov't). In addition, I know TONS of aboriginals who abuse many of these things and I think that only adds to the negativity.

Nice post Mitch