When thinking outside the box just isn't enough
The hunt for evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a red herring and shouldn’t be the focus of the international community’s (minus Assad’s apologists in Moscow and Tehran) efforts to stop the Assad regime’s relentless campaign of bloodshed against its own people. Irrespective of the good intentions of UN Secretary general […]
By now you’ve probably heard about the case of Mark Marek. He’s the Canadian guru of gore whose website Bestgore.com peddles snuff films and all manner ugly of human depravity to millions of online users. In a high profile case with connections to the ongoing trial of Luca Magnotta, alleged butcher of a gay Chinese student […]
Last week, people in several cities around the country held peaceful demonstrations demanding that the government disclose everything that it knows about the crimes of Canada’s disgraceful residential schools. Predictably, the old media ignored it, much as they have done with other Idle No More type actions recently. The latest outrage was prompted by a […]
The tragedy of Lac Mégantic is now moving into its legal phase, as tragedies in our society invariably seem to do. The death toll stands at 50 people but more are expected as the search for the missing continues. One thing is certain though: the law suits are sure to fly thick and fast, and […]
If Glenn Greenwald isn’t given a Pulitzer Prize for helping the Guardian uncover the biggest surveillance program in the world and expose the NSA and government lies about the extent of their eavesdropping on US citizens and foreigners, it will only serve to highlight what he and other independent media have been saying for years […]
Does anyone remember the concept of “open federalism?” That was the anti-centralist concept of Canada espoused by the Reform party back in the early 90’s that said the role of the feds should be limited to those areas that the provincial government either can’t or won’t do themselves.
If there is one thing about this election that scares the shit of me—and should scare you as well—it’s the shocking declaration of the self-proclaimed savior of the increasingly-ugly PQ, Jean Francois Lisée.
Assange may be a hero or villain (I lean towards the former) to millions of people and internet users all over the world for establishing Wikileaks and exposing the hypocricy of governments’ (especially the U.S.’s) foreign policies, but, and it must be said, his decision to seek asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, was not his finest moment.
In effect, then, the law allows an able bodied person to end their own life. “However, persons who are physically disabled such that they cannot commit suicide without help are denied that option, because s. 241(b) prohibits assisted suicide.” Judge Smith concluded that this double standard is not compatible with the values of free and democratic society…
A huge role of common law judges traditionally has been to decide on the punishment, especially in cases where juries decide the guilt or innocence of a defendant in a criminal trial. Mandatory minimum sentences undermine this important judicial function while at the same time eroding the separation of powers between judiciary and legislative by tying the hands of judges
It does seem like Oda was never really on top of her files or fully in control of her own ministry. Then again, apart from a handful of ministers, none of these “servants of the crown” seems to be able to escape the tight leash Harper has imposed on them. They would do well to remember that the term “responsible government” in Canada means that they are accountable to the Parliament and not to the Prime Minister
The prosecution worked out a plea bargain with Khadr, requiring him to plead guilty to the killing of a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan, in exchange for their assurance that he would be allowed to return to Canada, his birthplace and home for much of his childhood. Now the Harper government is dragging its feet on the extradition, making it the only western state with detainees at Gitmo to completely wash its hands of its nationals
There’s reason to believe that the fledgling democracy in the largest Arabic country in the world is in grave peril. Sadly, more than a year after the Egyptian people rose up in revolt and overthrew the kleptocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak, in a relatively peaceful revolution, the remnants of the old deeply corrupt establishment are coming back to haunt them… Why the architects of the revolution didn’t look to the South African model for making the transition democracy with a strong set of checks and balances, is beyond me
This definition of terrorist activity may not necessarily be a recipe for abuse of power or a threat to our most cherished basic freedoms. However, in the hands of this unscrupulous federal government, these powers will almost certainly result in the undermining of human rights in Canada, sooner or later
When the Charbonneau commission opens this week dozens of witnesses will testify and be cross examined by representatives from groups as diverse as Hydro Québec to hard core provincial lefties Québec Solidaire. The only oddity with the proceedings will be the conspicuous absence of a single representative from Liberal Party of Quebec. This is rather like having the O.J. Simpson trial without ‘The Juice’ (as he’s sometimes called), testifying before the court. After all, the whole purpose of this inquiry is to establish whether there is any connection between the awarding of juicy pork barrel government construction contracts (corruption never tasted so good!) and the financing of political parties in Quebec…
Canada’s government should lobby its NATO allies to hold a full investigation into allegations of civilian deaths during its yearlong bombing campaign in support of Libyan rebel’s successful toppling of the Gaddafi clan and the corrupt regime that kept them in power for over 40 years. This may be a tad hypocritical of me. You […]
