Conservatives reject funding for Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Oh well… Edmonton Journal WINNIPEG - A Tory MP says his government will not bail out the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which is facing delays and cost overruns. MP…
James C Morton
In this century, bloggers are media!
There is an issue emerging about media access to the Liberal Biennial Convention in Ottawa. Specifically, bloggers have been told that media accreditation is open to recognized news organizations. Freelance…
Cross-examination critical on summary judgment motions
Poole v. Whirlpool Corporation, 2011 ONCA 808, released today, is a helpful reminder that cross-examination on contentious issues is necessary in summary judgment matters. Bald allegations are not sufficient — evidence is needed…
A binding guarantee may be provided by an email
Pintar v. Consolidated Wholesale, 2011 ONCA 805 is a good source for the principle that a guarantee, which of course must be in writing, can be provided by email. The Court writes: There…
Allan Joseph MacEachen is a lion of Canadian politics
Born July 6, 1921 MacEachen is a many-time Cabinet minister, a retired Senator and was Canada's first Deputy Prime Minister. First elected in 1953 under the leadership of Prime Minister…
I agree with Stephen Harper: Kim Jong-il violated the basic rights of the North Korean people
When he's right he's right: http://natpo.st/trjQ7B "Prime Minister Stephen Harper also weighed in on the issue and said North Korea should "close this sad chapter in its history" following the…
Dismissal for delay
Langenecker v. Sauvé, 2011 ONCA 803 deals in detail with dismissal of a civil action for delay. The Court writes: An order dismissing an action for delay is obviously a severe remedy. The…
Santa is well protected
Seasons Greetings/Meilleurs vœux pour la nouvelle année
Kim Jong-un: The King is dead, long live the King?
"May you live in exciting times" is a curse and not a blessing. Still, perhaps the enslaved people of North Korea will now have a chance at freedom: http://bit.ly/rUbVXe "In…
Municipal government bound by the Charter
R. v. Vellone, 2011 ONCA 785 is a long awaited decision dealing with whether a municipal government falls within the scope of government for the purposes of Charter analysis. Although the issue would…
A Challenge to All Candidates for Liberal National Board
What three specific, measurable and achievable goals will you accomplish if elected? I set mine out some time ago: http://jmortonmusings.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-commitments-as-next-vice-president.html What are yours?
Hey, the Conservatives are only as bad as us …
Rex Murphy's point seems to be that, "well, yes Stephen Harper is a bit of a monster but so was Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien." I'm not crazy about that…
A Free and Open Leadership Campaign
I’ve been speaking to Liberals across Canada — some face to face, some by telephone, some by e-mail. One issue they are all united on is the need for a…
An adverse inference in the context of a failure to call a witness
R. v. Rudge, 2011 ONCA 791 has a useful discussion of when an adverse inference may be drawn by a failure to call a witness: The Supreme Court of Canada addressed the…
Christopher Hitchens dies
A curious intellectual, Hitchens was a non-believer in God who believed in the power of military force. Regardless, his writing was powerful and while I often (usually) disagreed I always…
L’incident Irwin Cotler
L’incident Irwin Cotler au cours duquel des agents du Parti conservateur ont répandu des informations erronées indiquant qu’Irwin Cotler avait démissionné et qu’une élection partielle aurait lieu, n’est qu’une combine…
RIM delays launch of new superphones
This is gRIM news — seriously, by the time the superphones come out will there be anyone still buying Blackberrys? http://bit.ly/vZaOn4 "Mike Lazaridis also confirmed market fears that RIM's new…
Tort of knowing assistance in breach of fiduciary duty
Harris v. Leikin Group Inc., 2011 ONCA 790 deals with an appeal from a summary judgment. The decision sets out the elements of the tort of knowing assistance in breach of fiduciary duty:…