A Ban on Shark Fin Soup

I have written previously about shark finning, the barbaric practice of cutting off the fins of sharks while abandoning the rest of the creature in the ocean to either drown or bleed to death. Despite the fact that sharks are vital to the ocean ecosystem and therefore to us, this illegal practice continues virtually unabated thanks largely to the apparently insatiable appetite of the Oriental communities throughout the world who regard shark fin soup as both a delicacy and a status-enhancing repast.

Two communities in Ontario, Brantford and Oakville, have already banned the sale of this soup, and now Toronto is considering prohibiting its sale. Unfortunately, as reported in The Toronto Star, restaurant owners in the area are claiming such a ban would be unfair, as it would drive those seeking the experience to neighbouring communities.

There are many issues over which we have little influence or control. This is not one of them. Refusing to succumb to one's thirst for status, refusing to aid and abet illegal and barbaric practices, should be, as they say, a 'no-brainer.'

People in communities across the country need to insist that their municipal representatives outlaw the sale of this soup.

We Few, We Happy Few, We Band Of Brothers

Sometimes, when I despair of anything positive happening in the world despite the efforts of some very good people, and despite the fact that the media overwhelmingly champions those with all the power, I think of this famous speech from Shakespeare's Henry V.

As they are about to go into battle against the French, and facing overwhelming odds against victory owing to discouragement within the ranks and the much greater power of the enemy, Henry gives the famous St. Crispin Day speech.

Although his words are used to bolster the spirits and resolve of his men in a war situation, the speech seem especially appropriate for any kind of battle where people face tremendous odds against success. Enjoy.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.

Star Readers Respond To Tony Warr

I recently wrote a post detailing the cavalier attitude of retiring Deputy Police Chief Tony Warr towards the police brutality unleashed on his city during last year's G20 Summit. Frequently a source of inspiration, readers weigh in with their own assessments of Warr's perspective in today's issue of The Toronto Star,

Well-worth the read!

More Police Misconduct - So What Else Is New?

In what is getting to be a far too routine occurrence, more police misconduct has come to light, this time in the Niagara region. A story in The Hamilton Spectator entitled Judge blasts Niagara police officers, chief of police details how Ontario Supreme Court Justice Peter Hambly dismissed all charges in a $16 million pot grow-op bust due to dishonesty on the part of the arresting officers:

Hambly said officers, Detective Sergeant James Leigh, who was in charge of the morality unit, Detective James Malloy and Detective Chris Lemaich knowingly hid identification of the source of information leading to the location of the grow-op.

The source, a Hamilton police officer with relatives living in the general area of the bust, did not stipulate anonymity, but the arresting officers claimed they had received an anonymous tip, going so far as to falsify notes and repeatedly swear false affidavits to obtain a search warrant.

Because the officers had acted without integrity and would have continued to perjure themselves at trial, the judge dismissed all charges. He also had harsh words for Niagara's Police Chief, Wendy Southall, saying that she knows what has taken place and has taken no action. In other words, she seems to be encouraging a culture of corrupt policing.

Probably the most damning assessment of the entire sad episode comes from Benjamin Berger, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School who addressed its wider ramifications:

“There have been a number of inquiries into police conduct in Canada. When these add up and develop, when you get these messages sent, the great concern is you have a public that is losing confidence, or may lose confidence in the institution’s government,” said Berger.

He said law enforcement is representing some of the basic principals of our democracy; the legitimacy of force, transparency in government and these are all crucial to people’s sense of the rule of law.

“Police are really important. They are given enormous powers by society with a sense of trust that those powers will be exercised in accordance with the rule of law,” said Berger. “Where there is a loss of that confidence, it shakes the system.”

Indeed. it seems that with each passing week, our guardians of public security have more and more to answer for.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.

Asbestos and Politics - The Plight Of Dr. Kellie Leitch

The other day I posted my response to my M.P. on the Canadian export of asbestos, questioning how a man such as he, committed to Christian principles, can really consider himself doing God's work by condemning to suffering and death those working unsafely with our export in developing countries.

As reported in The Toronto Star, a similar moral conflict has been exposed in an open letter signed by 250 doctors and public health professionals to Dr. Kellie Leitch, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon elected last spring as a Conservative Member of Parliament.

As reported in the article,

The letter writers say Leitch has a duty to influence her Conservative colleagues to pull the plug on a sector they say will spread deadly disease in poorer countries.

“We understand that doing the right thing may run counter to your political interests,” reads the letter from Canadian and international signatories as well as more than 20 organizations.

Reminding Dr. Leitch that she has a moral and professional obligation to live by the tenets of the Hippocratic oath, the letter continues,

“However, your ethical code of conduct as a medical doctor requires that you put the protection of health ahead of personal advantage, no matter what the circumstance.”

The Tories have long maintained that Canada’s chrysotile asbestos is safe when handled properly.

But the letter’s signatories, including physicians from prestigious universities such as Harvard and Columbia, argue there are no regulations in poorer countries to protect people from the harmful effects of the hazardous substance.

Perhaps an indication of whether politics will prevail over morality is suggested by the fact that Dr. Leitch was unavailable for comment, her office referring all questions on the matter to The Minister of Natural Resources.

Can You Help Me With My Complaint Against Sun News Network and Michael Coren?

I am reproducing the correspondence I just received from the CRTC regarding my complaint against Sun Tv regarding Michael Coren's recent racist comments. As you will see from the note, for the complaint to proceed, I need the specific details about the program in question, i.e., the time and date of the offending broadcast. Thanks for any assistance you can provide me with.


This is in response to your correspondence of August 13, 2011 regarding Sun TV.

We do appreciate what you are telling us; however, as noted in our attached fact sheet on the complaints process http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/INFO_SHT/G8.htm , the Commission does not conduct general programming reviews. In order to investigate complaints, we require the identification of a broadcaster and particular broadcasts, i.e. time and date. We also ask that complaints reach us within four weeks of the date of broadcast because licensees are required by regulation to keep tapes of the material they air for that time.

Should you wish to write back with details of broadcasts that typify your concern, we will be pleased to follow up on your behalf. In the meantime, I hope this is helpful.

However, having said this, I have taken the liberty of forwarding your correspondence to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) which administers codes of industry standards and mediates complaints from the public involving their member stations. Should you wish to contact the CBSC directly, you may do so by writing to P.O. Box 3265, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6H8, or at info@cbsc.ca. You can also reach them at 613-233-4607 or toll free at 1-866-696-4718.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.

Another Ardent Free Enterpriser Seeks A 'Left-Wing' Solution

In what can be seen as either an act of hubris (Do as I say or I will unleash Ford Nation during the fall election) or an act of desperation (Oops, why did the private sector fail me?), Mayor Rob Ford made a visit to Dalton McGuinty yesterday, seeking a bailout of $650 million to pursue his dream of the contentious Sheppard subway extension.

Playing a game of semantics, Ford insists he isn't asking for any new money, conveniently forgetting that the previously promised funding was for the Transit City light-rail plan, something that Mr. Ford scrapped shortly after taking office.

It has been said that politics makes strange bedfellows. It is to be hoped that, vis a vis Rob Ford, Dalton McGuinty's imagination recoils at the recumbent imagery such an alliance would suggest.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.