Aug 23, 2014
National Newswatch – Jim Bronskill, Canadian Press
Up in smoke: millions spent destroying pot
RCMP and Canada’s military have spent $11 million in the last 8 years on a seek-and-destroy mission for marijuana fields. Liberal defence critic Joyce Murray uncovered the numbers which only apply to air operations, mostly in Ontario and Quebec. http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2014/08/21/mounties-military-spend-millions-on-weeding-out-illicit-marijuana-harvest/#.U_dI42Pej3t Related article: Vancouver Sun / Canada.com – Peter O’Neill The pot challenge: Legalize while keeping kids safe http://www.canada.com/news/challenge+Legalize+while+keeping+kids+safe/10138361/story.html Related article: Canada.com – Vivian Luk, Canadian Press More lenient marijuana laws still on the table, justice minister tells Vancouver meeting http://www.canada.com/news/More+lenient+marijuana+laws+still+table+Justice+minister/10131313/story.html Related article: Globe and Mail – André Picard Canada’s pot policy needs to sober up http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadas-pot-policy-needs-to-sober-up/article20166378
Toronto Star – Alex Boutilier
Native teen’s slaying a ‘crime,’ not a ‘sociological phenomenon,’ Stephen Harper says
The death of 15 year old Tina Fontaine is not part of the story of the 1200 murdered or missing Aboriginal women according to Stephen Harper. The Prime Minister made it clear to an audience in his northern tour in Whitehorse that there will be no national inquiry. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/08/21/native_teens_slaying_a_crime_not_a_sociological_phenomenon_stephen_harper_says.html Related article: Toronto Star – Heather Mallick To us, Tina Fontaine just another missing native kid http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/08/20/to_us_tina_fontaine_just_another_missing_native_kid_mallick.html Related article: Globe and Mail – Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond Enough is enough: Time to address epidemic of violence against native women http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/put-native-women-on-the-agenda/article20144737
The Broadbent Blog – Catherine Latimer, Executive Director, John Howard Canada
The decline of evidence-based law making
Latimer cites the case of Edgar Schmidt who has challenged through the SCC the notion that governments can ignore testing proposed legislation against the criteria required by the charter. The law clearly requires that the justice minister assess whether any proposed law is inconsistent with the provisions of the charter. In the face of diminished resources and capacity with the ministry, and the repeated SCC challenges to legislation to date, and the lack of transparency, Latimer thinks: “We need to return to principle-driven, evidence-based approaches to law reform that benefit from the expertise of stakeholders in the pursuit of justice.” https://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/en/blog/decline-evidence-based-law-making
The Montreal Gazette – Douglas Quan, Postmedia News
Canadian police forces bulking up with armoured vehicles
The TV pictures from Ferguson, MO, of a very soldier-like police force responding to crowd control have raised concerns around the militarization of police. New Glasgow, N.S., police can now boast of a former Canadian Forces Cougar armoured vehicle in its arsenal. Some police forces have bought similar vehicles and these vehicles are often modified at tax payer expense. The RCMP used five of these vehicles in the recent manhunt in Codiac, NB. http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/Canadian+police+forces+bulking+with+armoured+vehicles/10138240/story.html
CBC News – Amber Hildebrandt
Transport Canada’s lax safety practices go beyond rail
The recent Transport Safety Board report on the tragedy at Lac Mégantic has prompted critics to look at the role of Transport Canada in rail, marine and air transportation and a system that relies heavily on self-reporting by owner operators. Companies create their own safety management plan that is checked by government but then monitored for compliance by the company. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/transport-canada-s-lax-safety-practices-go-beyond-rail-1.2741610 Related article: CTV News ‘Megantic is on fire’: Audio captures railway engineer’s reaction as tragedy unfolds http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/megantic-is-on-fire-audio-captures-railway-engineer-s-reaction-as-tragedy-unfolds-1.1970935#ixzz3B8GikS72
The Scotsman – Anton Muscatelli
Comment: We need action to close wealth gap
Insisting that inequality pre-dates the financial crises and that the inequality is genuinely global, Muscatelli reviews Piketty’s solution of worldwide progressive taxation of the wealthy. Then Muscatelli identifies three major forces that depress the income of those on the lowest end of the scale and he says “we need to design our economic and political system to place fairness and equality at its heart.” http://www.scotsman.com/news/comment-we-need-action-to-close-wealth-gap-1-3518676