Category: Culture

Canada, Culture, Politics1 Comment

SNC Lavalin Said What?

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“There’s something happening here What it is ain’t exactly clear . . ..” Stephen Stills, Buffalo Springfield While the SNC Lavalin (SNC) affair isn’t at the level of chaos in the streets or riots on college campuses in the hippie era, there are some fundamental similarities to be drawn. There is a real clash between the established political authority and the rest who are not so well-connected, the ruck of society. Canadians want to know what’s going on. Things “. . . ain’t exactly clear”. Throughout the SNC scandal the political elite, mainly the Prime Minister, have been insisting that … Continue reading SNC Lavalin Said What?

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The Need to Know

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Anthony Housefather holds the chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, which is the parliamentary committee that heard testimony from former Attorney General and Justice Minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould and others in the SNC Lavalin affair (SNC). Now that the committee has concluded its investigation, Mr. Housefather wants to tell Canadians what he thinks they need to know about SNC. Housefather takes some pains to remind us that the Justice Committee is not a court and that his conclusions about what Canadians need to know about the findings of the Committee are his own opinion. Most Canadians I … Continue reading The Need to Know

Canada, Culture, Politics1 Comment

Something to See Here

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Former Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould (JWR) says that she will supply further testimony and evidence in a written report to the parliamentary justice committee which has now closed its investigation into the SNC Lavalin affair. That information will be made public after it is reviewed by that committee. Unlike Michael Wernick, former Clerk of the Privy Council and “trusted advisor” to the Prime Minister’s Office, JWR was not permitted a second appearance before the committee. One of the interesting things about Wernick’s second appearance was, as I observed in my last post, that he seemed unaware or was indifferent … Continue reading Something to See Here

Canada, Culture, Politics1 Comment

To Justice Add Integrity

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“Lovely words,” is how in part Christie Blatchford describes the conduct of the Clerk of the Privy Council in the waning months of the career from which he has now resigned over the SNC Lavalin affair. I’ve stated several times that the central focus of the SNC affair is the pursuit of justice. This is the thing most often overlooked. Justice is a profoundly moral principle. To lift any other concern above it is to make the wrong choice between the good and the evil and to make concessions to the profit of the latter. To justice now add integrity. … Continue reading To Justice Add Integrity

Canada, Culture, Politics1 Comment

SNC: The Gift That Tries to Keep on Giving

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The Liberal government clearly wants to kill the SNC Lavalin affair. It has tabled a new budget with plenty of bright shiny promises to which media and voters may turn their attention. The Liberal-dominated parliamentary justice committee has abandoned all further investigation of the SNC affair. Now along comes some help from Conrad Black to say that SNC is a “sideshow” to the real JWR issue. Mr. Black brings up the questionable qualifications of Jody Wilson-Raybould (JWR) for the minister of justice position and her “activist” actions as minister of justice relative to advancing the privilege of aboriginals in Canada. … Continue reading SNC: The Gift That Tries to Keep on Giving

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Principles Wanted: Apply by October 21, 2019

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A Federal Election looms in Canada and the major parties are positioning their public images to capture the imaginations of the electorate. What else could be the objective when no leader has articulated a platform judgeable in terms of fundamental principles? Consider Justin Trudeau and the Liberals by surveying the preoccupations of the government in recent years. The top issues (notwithstanding the SNC-Lavalin affair) would be those driving all the rest: gender “identities,” native populations and “climate change”. The Liberal Party website reveals a mind-boggling number of issues presumed to be addressed by the Liberal government’s vision of “real change.” … Continue reading Principles Wanted: Apply by October 21, 2019

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Provoking the “Borg”

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I am not convinced that a proper government should be involved in administering the registration and licensing of motor vehicles for operation, but it is the case in most jurisdictions. It ought to be a straightforward procedure to perform the necessary recordkeeping for processing payments, issuing vehicle tags, tracking expiring registrations and perhaps issuing reminders for renewals pending. But of course, when government goes beyond its proper scope of protecting individual rights, all manner of inefficiencies and injustices are certain to occur. [The primary source of information for what follows can be found in a National Post article, which is … Continue reading Provoking the “Borg”

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“The Star” Reports on New Social Club

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The Star or Star Metro has a significant presence in the daily lives of Canadians. In Edmonton and other Canadian cities, readers are treated to what is described by Wikipedia as “a chain of Canadian free daily newspapers . . ..” [Emphasis added.] I think The Star is worth every penny of that price. Consider the December 17, 2018 print edition of the Star Metro Edmonton, the editors of which deemed it worthy to report—as no less than a “cover story”—what I would call the formation of a new social club on the University of Alberta campus. The story is … Continue reading “The Star” Reports on New Social Club