The optics on the Rahmm Jaffer decision yesterday is just plain bad.

A former Conservative federal member of parliament, married to a current Conservative Cabinet minister is charged last fall with impaired driving and possession of cocaine. He comes before a judge who was appointed by the current federal Finance Minister when he was the provincial Attorney General. He gets off with what amounts to a slap on the wrist by pleading guilty to a dangerous driving charge and receiving a $500 fine.

The Crown gave no explanation for the deal they struck other than saying they had no reasonable chance of conviction. For just about any other, average Canadian, blowing over on the breathalyser would result in a conviction. These days even blowing .05 results in an immediate license suspension which doesn’t even get you a day in court.

As for the cocaine possession charge, if he wasn’t in the possession of cocaine then why didn’t the Crown just exonerate him and admit the police’s error? Maybe because that would be just out and out lying instead of just deception. Read the rest of this entry »

Five years ago Canada; as in the Canadian Olympic Committee, sports federations and the government took a pretty bold and overdue move. They put together a group known as “Own the Podium” with the goal to provide the training, support and technology to our top athletes with the stated goal of topping the medal count at the 2010 Olympics.

I was rather amused at the premise that Canada would own the podium in 2010 when we have taken far too long to pour the resources into our sports programs from which our Olympian’s emerge. Other countries, like the United States, Russia and China have made no bones about pouring millions into the development of their elite athletes. Why shouldn’t Canada?

Some criticize the goal of owning the podium as arrogance on Canada’s part, as setting unrealistic goals, putting to much pressure on our athletes etc. Chill out people. The fact is if you don’t set the bar as high as you dare to reach, you will never reach the goal. There is nothing unrealistic about the goals the program sets, Canadian athletes throughout the history of the games have turned in amazing performances, there is no reason why they shouldn’t receive the support of the nation they so proudly represent. Read the rest of this entry »

They shall grow not old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them

In memory of our fallen Canadian:

John Henry Foster Babcock (age 109) — World War 1 — Feb. 18, 2010

Always Caring — Always Canadian — Never Defeated

Normally, the header on this post would be the whole post and would be reserved for those Canadians who have died in service to Canada. A post like the above remains at the top of my blog for ten days after their death. I’m adding it to this post in honour of the passing of  John Henry Foster Babcock, the last known Canadian to have served in WW1.

Babcock didn’t make it into service in the trenches of Europe, he was only 15 when he signed up. He managed to get himself as far as England before being rounded up into the Young Soldiers Battalion to wait his coming of age. Had WW1 gone on as long as Canada’s current engagement in Afghanistan, he would have seen service. He called himself a ‘tin soldier’ because he didn’t see action but the point is he joined up with the intent of doing so and that matters.  Read the rest of this entry »

So James Moore, the federal Heritage Minister, doesn’t think there was enough french at the opening of the Olympics on Friday evening. Leaves me wondering what opening ceremonies he was watching, I had a belly full of french and I was watching it on NBC. I can’t say I was particularly impressed to be watching an event taking place in a very definitely english speaking province and hearing every statement said first in french and then in english.

Yes, I know, we are a bilingual country and the IOC rules require both french and english. I could have been a lot more tolerant of a shifting back and forth on which language was first but french consistently had the first usage and then Moore whines there wasn’t enough french? That strikes me as pandering more towards Quebec votes than anything else.

Quebec Premier Charest complained at a news conference there wasn’t enough french used. He was reported to have said “that while the opening was “magnificent,” and that there were more mandarin speakers in British Columbia than francophones everybody would have liked to have had more french in the opening ceremony.” Really? Maybe in Quebec, the only french speaking province in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve let this article sit in my browser for a few days now while I have pondered if my initial reaction stands up to my attempts to rationalise the actions of those involved. I can’t find it in my heart to justify them.

The article is about an Anglican church in Tsawwassen, British Columbia continuing to pay a reduced salary to their youth pastor who has been convicted of molesting a young Mexican boy in Mexico in 2004. At this point the parish is paying Brad Firth at least until his appeals are exhausted. Their reasoning seems to be since he has faced the courts in Mexico and they are different than ours, then his conviction doesn’t carry the same weight.

I was almost able to sway my thinking to some level of compassion and understanding that maybe, just maybe the conviction was bogus and good for the parish for standing by him. Then I found the part of the article that tells me once Firth does return to Canada, the police will be waiting for him. They have outstanding charges of possessing and accessing child pornography.

This man serves in a ministry which provides access to young vulnerable children. The fact he has been convicted anywhere in the world and faces additional charges here at home is more than enough reason for the parish to terminate any financial payments to him immediately. Read the rest of this entry »

This story hits close to home for me. I live in the general area of Trenton and have occasion to come into close contact with our military brothers and sisters. Yesterday morning the first hint I got that Jessica Lloyd, missing from her Belleville area home since Jan. 28th, had been located was a note across Twitter.

As I watched the posts unfold I learned it was her body which had been found and that someone was in custody, the police would hold a press conference at 1pm. Then I saw a tweet saying the home of the Commander of CFB Trenton’s home in Tweed was being searched, my eyebrows shot up. How could that possibly be related? I wondered.

By the time the press conference rolled around, the news was out. Col. Russ Williams, Commander of CFB Trenton had been charged with the murder of Jessica Lloyd, the murder of Cpl Marie Comeau  of Brighton (just 10km away from me) and the sexual assaults on two Tweed residents. The news was stunning to say the least. Read the rest of this entry »

As I understand it, George Galloway was denied permission to enter Canada as he provided material support to a terrorist organization. Specifically, he led an aid convoy into Gaza and handed over financial aid to the Hamas government which Canada has deemed to be a terrorist organization. I further understand it is illegal for any Canadian to provide support to a terrorist organization.

The Tamil Tigers were declared a terrorist organization by this current government. That would make it illegal to provide support to them. The Tigers have been known to carry out their terrorist behaviour here in this country through extracting ‘insurance’ from Tamil business owners. I don’t think it is a stretch to suggest that Tigers would be involved in our drug trade here in this country in their ongoing efforts to finance their war in Sri Lanka where they are known for pressing children into becoming soldiers for their cause. Read the rest of this entry »

A federal judge today denied the group representing George Galloway an injunction to allow him into Canada. Galloway, a British MP who is the sole MP for the Respect party (which he founded), was denied entry to Canada by the Canadian Border Service. He was to be in the country on an anti-war speaking tour.

The judge ruled:

“The admission of a foreign national to this country is a privilege determined by statute, regulation or otherwise, and not a matter of right,” Martineau wrote in his ruling. “In this respect Parliament has expressly given the CBSA officers legal authority to exclusively determine whether a foreign national who seeks to enter this country is admissible”

The group, Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, argued that Galloway’s exclusion was as the result of political interference and was an issue of free speech. The judge didn’t completely rule out the political interference by declined to directly express an opinion. A judicial review of the decision will take place. Read the rest of this entry »