law ← Progressive Bloggers // Blogues progressistes

Susan on the Soapbox: The Whole Gay Thing

Apr

9

2017

Recently Brad Trost and Jason Kenney made some troubling comments about the whole gay thing and the progressives just won’t let it go. Trost, a “full spectrum” conservative, believes in all three conservative values: social conservatism, fiscal conservatism, and democratic populist conservatism. He recently shared his views on “the whole gay thing” in a campaign ...

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Senator Plett Reprises His Complaints on Bill C-16

Mar

5

2017

Whether we are talking about Bill C-16, Bill C-279 or Bill C-389, there has been one consistent thing in the Senate – the voice of Senator Plett droning on about how terrible this legislation is. This week, second reading of Bill C-16 happened in the Senate, and sure enough Senator Plett had to stick his ...

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Senator Plett Reprises His Complaints on Bill C-16

Mar

5

2017

Whether we are talking about Bill C-16, Bill C-279 or Bill C-389, there has been one consistent thing in the Senate – the voice of Senator Plett droning on about how terrible this legislation is. This week, second reading of Bill C-16 happened in the Senate, and sure enough Senator Plett had to stick his ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Kellie Leitch: An Example of “New Racism”

Feb

5

2017

On Sept 7, 2016 Kellie Leitch posted a tweet in which she shared an article that appeared in Macleans magazine. The article set out her proposal to vet all newcomers to Canada for “anti-Canadian values”. On January 29, 2017 six Muslim men were murdered in a Quebec mosque by a white Canadian man who apparently ...

Things Are Good: The Quick and Powerful Response by the ACLU

Jan

30

2017

Image via Reddit. Over the weekend President Trump enacted what has come to be known as the Muslim Ban. Immediately protestors took to their nearby airports in act of solidarity with the people affected by Trump’s outrageous actions against migration. The protests are continuing today at American consulates and embassies around the world. This is ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Viola Desmond: The Perfect Choice

Dec

11

2016

Viola Desmond is the first Canadian woman to be featured on our bank notes. We know the outline of her story—Ms Desmond was arrested, jailed and convicted for refusing to leave the whites-only section of a movie theatre. Her story speaks to the pernicious nature of racism in Canada and how it impacts those who ...

Susan on the Soapbox: The Calgary Police Service: Allegations of Harassment and Intimidation

Oct

30

2016

If you’ve ever wondered why women are reluctant to bring forward allegations of sexual harassment, look no further than the furor unleashed when 15 female police officers contacted city councillor and police commissioner Diane Colley-Urquhart to discuss sexual harassment and the culture of intimidation and retaliation they’d experienced at the Calgary Police Service. Ms Colley-Urquhart ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Brian Jean Makes a Joke

Sep

4

2016

Two things happened this week that reflect very poorly on the judgment of Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean and his supporters. The first was The Joke. The second was his apology for The Joke. Let’s take them in turn. The joke… You all know the story. Mr Jean was at a Wildrose forum in Fort ...

Susan on the Soapbox: The NDP’s Power Play: Myths and Facts

Aug

7

2016

Alberta’s NDP government wants to save Albertans $2 billion and the Wildrose, the Progressive Conservatives and the media are churning up a dust storm of misinformation trying to stop them. Let’s take it from the top, shall we? Klein deregulates the power industry In 2000 Premier Klein boldly went where few had gone before—he deregulated ...

Things Are Good: The Future Is Now Relevant In American Courts

Jun

14

2016

There’s a new tactic for environmentalists using the court system to change the world: argue that the government has a responsibility to protect people. The argument environmentalists can use is broadly known as “public trust” and how it relates to certain institutions and what they do. It is basically the notion that we a citizens ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Physician Assisted Dying: How the SCC got there

Jun

9

2016

It’s a paradox. Your right to die is an affirmation of your right to live. In a unanimous decision of astonishing clarity the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decided that the Criminal Code prohibition on physician-assisted dying violates your Charter rights to life, liberty and security. Here’s how they did it. Section 7: right to ...

Susan on the Soapbox: The Wildrose and PCs Weigh In On Medically Assisted Dying

Jun

5

2016

We’ve seen a lot of fireworks in the Alberta Legislature but nothing can match the rhetoric and misinformation that characterized the response of the Wildrose (and to a lesser extent the Progressive Conservatives) to the government’s motion to regulate medical assistance in dying. Background On Feb 6, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Ghomeshi’s Apology

May

12

2016

It’s over. Yesterday Jian Ghomeshi signed a peace bond and apologized to Kathryn Borel. The Crown dropped the sexual assault charge. Here’s Mr Ghomeshi’s apology and Ms Borel’s reply. Ghomeshi’s apology I want to apologize to Ms. Borel for my behaviour towards her in the workplace. In the last 18 months, I have spent a ...

Scripturient: O tempora, o mores!

Apr

26

2016

Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum. Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote those words in the short book about a Roman court case, Pro Lucio Murena (For Lucius Murena). They mean, in English, Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Justice Abella a.k.a. Rock Star

Mar

6

2016

Rosalie Silberman never wanted to be a judge. But the phone kept ringing. Would she like to be a Family Court judge? She was 29 and pregnant but sure, why not. How about heading up the Royal Commission on Women’s Affirmative Action? Yes, but let’s expand the scope to include aboriginals, visible minorities and the ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Ezra Levant: Once a lawyer always a lawyer?

Feb

28

2016

Ms Soapbox is grateful to Ezra Levant (and that’s not an easy thing to say). Thanks to Ezra she’s discovered that journalism is not a profession (actually she suspected it all along); she’s also learned that “once a lawyer always a lawyer” until the Law Society says otherwise. Levant’s resignation There may be 50 ways ...

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Speaking Of Hypocrisy

Feb

11

2016

So, the Catholic Church thinks it has something relevant to say about physician assisted death? After reading through the Bishops’ letter to Alberta’s Premier Notley, it’s an amazing piece of hypocritical nonsense. The Catholic Church is committed to protecting and caring for the most vulnerable people in our society; this includes, of course, those who ...

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Speaking Of Hypocrisy

Feb

11

2016

So, the Catholic Church thinks it has something relevant to say about physician assisted death? After reading through the Bishops’ letter to Alberta’s Premier Notley, it’s an amazing piece of hypocritical nonsense. The Catholic Church is committed to protecting and caring for the most vulnerable people in our society; this includes, of course, those who ...

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Speaking Of Hypocrisy

Feb

11

2016

So, the Catholic Church thinks it has something relevant to say about physician assisted death? After reading through the Bishops’ letter to Alberta’s Premier Notley, it’s an amazing piece of hypocritical nonsense. The Catholic Church is committed to protecting and caring for the most vulnerable people in our society; this includes, of course, those who ...

Things Are Good: Ontario Slaps SLAPPs

Nov

12

2015

A strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) is a lawsuit that has the goal of shutting down opponents. They tend to be used as a strategy to shut down poor NGOs or poor people who can’t afford to defend themselves in a lengthy legal battle. SLAPPs tie up the courts while shutting down debate – ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: On Civil Obedience

Sep

24

2015

“Laws control the lesser man… Right conduct controls the greater one.” – Mark Twain Never be obedient. Obedience is for dogs. No offence to dogs – I love dogs, and dogs are very admirable, as well as lovable, and there is much that we can learn from dogs. But we are not dogs, and we ...

Cowichan Conversations: French Parliament Votes to Recognize Palestinian State

Dec

2

2014

France’s Socialist-led parliament has passed a symbolic vote to recognize Palestinian statehood, despite staunch objections from Israel. MPs in Britain and Spain have already passed similar motions. The proposal was passed with 339 votes in favor and 151 against, meaning that it was supported by more than two-thirds of French lawmakers. Israel immediately responded, saying ...

Blevkog: The Ford Follies

Oct

31

2013

As most people in the free world are by now aware, the Mayor of our beloved T’ranna, Rob (Are You Gonna Finish That?) Ford has been bullying his way through scandal after potential scandal on pure bluster and the careful construction of a facade of fiscal responsibility. While I will admit he has had some ...

Bill Longstaff: Inequality of Canadian justice bothers Bar

Aug

29

2013

I recently read the Canadian Bar Association report Reaching Equal Justice (I ran out of mysteries) and was surprised at the strength of the language. A sampling of the phrases describing justice in Canada today includes, “abysmal state of access to justice” and “huge discrepancies between the promise of justice and the lived reality.” Some ...

The Canadian Progressive: Iraqi Single Mom And Tech Lawyer Suing George W. Bush for War Crimes

Aug

17

2013

An Iraqi single mom and a tech lawyer are suing ex-president George W. Bush for war crimes, believe they can prove the Iraq War was a “crime of aggression” under U.S. law. The post Iraqi Single Mom And Tech Lawyer Suing George W. Bush for War Crimes appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.