SCC appointees…

Aug 2, 2016

Globe and Mail – Stephen Chase
Ottawa overhauls process for selecting Supreme Court justices

The Liberal government thinks the way we appointment members of the SCC is too partisan and unaccountable.  Starting with the replacement for Justice Thomas Cromwell who retires in September, former PM Kim Campbell will chair a selection committee of seven, intended to be “an independent and non-partisan advisory board will be given the task of identifying suitable candidates.”  Four of the seven were nominated by law groups, three by government.  Besides, any lawyer can apply! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-overhauls-process-for-selecting-supreme-court-justices/article31222331/    Related article: Globe and Mail – Justin Trudeau  Why Canada has a new way to choose Supreme Court judges   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/why-canada-has-a-new-way-to-choose-supreme-court-judges/article31220275/  Related article: CBC News       Justin Trudeau announces new Supreme Court justices selection process   http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-canada-justices-selection-1.3703779

CBC News – Elizabeth Thompson
Harper’s former communications director reveals how to manipulate media

Remember Dimitri Soudas?  He was the director of communications in the Harper government until efforts to intervene on behalf of his fiancée MP Eva Adams led to his end.  Soudas has been studying at Simon Fraser University and his Master’s degree thesis is all about the differences that social media which offers both information and engagement makes for political purposes, election and policy.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-media-political-communications-spin-1.3701589

Toronto Star – Sara Mojtehedzadeh
Wage-theft victims lost $28M to poor enforcement, statistics show – Law-breaking bosses are almost never prosecuted, leaving thousands of workers out-of-pocket

In an age when income inequality is a driving social and political concern, this issue of wages owing seems an obvious solution in justice.  The provincial Ministry of Labour is supposed to collect on behalf of these workers but in fact has collected just over $19 million, leaving $27 million on the table and short changing workers.  About one half of the complaints involve more than $1,000 with retail and the hospitality industry most frequent offenders, often in firms with less than five employees.  https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/08/02/wage-theft-victims-lost-28m-to-poor-enforcement-statistics-show.html

Globe and Mail – Lawrence Martin
Anti-terrorism law: Why the Liberals aren’t living up to vow to amend it

Martin reminds us that the Liberal government supported the C-51 legislation under the Conservatives but vowed a review and change of certain elements they deemed objectionable as having gone too far.  The NDP have introduced a bill to repeal the C-51 legislation but, says Martin, the bill is not likely to achieve anything, given the Liberal reluctance to tackle the issue, for much the same reasons as before: fear of looking soft on terrorism and fear that having tackled the excesses there may be another terrorism incident.   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/bill-c-51-why-the-liberals-arent-living-up-to-promises-to-amend-the-law/article31220198/

CBC News – Alison Crawford
Correctional service lacks compassion dealing with families of inmates who die: report 

Canada’s Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers has issued a “scathing” report on the process that is activated by Corrections Canada when an inmate in prison dies. “CSC withholds as much information as possible at all points — from notification of death through to the investigative process. Families reported that CSC often cited the Privacy Act or the Access to Information Act when refusing to disclose or provide information,” the report says.  In 2015 sixty-five people died in custody, mostly of natural causes.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/corrections-inmates-deceased-information-1.3700844   Full Report: Correctional Services of Canada   In the Dark: An Investigation of Death in Custody Information Sharing and Disclosure Practices in Federal Corrections – Final Report  August 2, 2016   http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/oth-aut/oth-aut20160802-eng.aspx   Related article: CBC News – Michael Tutton   Federal prison death details so sparse that family grief deepens: study    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/howard-sapers-family-grief-prison-death-1.3700022

Vox (US) – Victoria M. Massie
The movement for black lives agenda shows racial justice is bigger than police brutality – The new policy platform includes reparations, economic justice, and investing in sustainable energy

Black Lives Matters has been controversial from its beginning where it was immersed in the Black Community’s response to the death of unarmed Black citizens in encounters with police.  This article goes well beyond the usual street demonstrating report and offers a political perspective about how the various affiliates of the movement would see redress happening between them and police.   http://www.vox.com/2016/8/2/12341708/black-lives-matter-policy-platform