Graeme MacKay Remembers Jack Layton

Editorial cartoonist Graeme MacKay has a poignant cartoon in today's Hamilton Spectator, which I am taking the liberty of reproducing below:

Jack Layton's Final Words To All Of Us

Despite the fact that we are still reeling from the news of Jack's sudden passing, he left something for all of us to cherish and to remember him by. Even as he realized his time here was coming to an end, he had the grace and generosity of spirit to leave a letter addressed to all Canadians that so perfectly reflects both the man and his beliefs. It is something we can take some comfort in during the times ahead that will undoubtedly be made more difficult by the loss of his prescient guidance.

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.