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First Nations - CF help, protests, solutions, residential schools, etc. (merged)

And Christie Blatchford reports in the National Post that a judge who issued injunctions lifting blockades of rail lines expressed dismay that the OPP refuses to enforce the law. The story is reproduced under the Fair Dealings provision of the Copyright Act.

Judge slams Ontario police for not breaking up Idle No More protests

Christie Blatchford | Jan 7, 2013 12:03 PM ET | Last Updated: Jan 7, 2013 12:09 PM ET

TORONTO — Saying “I do not get it,” an Ontario Superior Court judge Monday bemoaned the passivity of Ontario police forces on illegal native barricades and issued a lament for the state of law-and-order in the nation.

“…no person in Canada stands above or outside of the law,” Judge David Brown said in a decision that was alternately bewildered and plaintive.

“Although that principle of the rule of law is simple, at the same time it is fragile. Without Canadians sharing a public expectation of obeying the law, the rule of law will shatter.”

Judge Brown was formally giving his reasons for having granted CN Rail an emergency injunction last Saturday night, when the railway rushed to court when Idle No More protesters blocked the Wymans Road crossing on the main line between Toronto and Montreal.

That protest ended about midnight the same night, but as Judge Brown noted dryly, “not, as it turns out, because the police had assisted in enforcing the order” he granted.

When the judge read in the media Sunday morning that the blockade had ended, he asked CN to submit an affidavit how it had happened.

As the same judge who last month watched — “shocked,” he said later, at “such disrespect” — as Sarnia Police ignored his court orders to end another Idle No More blockade on a CN spur line, he was right to be skeptical.

And sure enough, what Judge Brown learned was that once the local sheriff got a copy of his order, by about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, she contacted the Ontario Provincial Police on scene.

The staff-sergeant there told her “it was too dangerous” to attempt to serve the order – on all of 15 protesters.

But, the judge said, he’d made “a time-sensitive order” precisely because the evidence showed that the railway suffered “from each hour the blockade remained in place, yet the OPP would not assist the local sheriff to ensure the order was served…

“Such an approach by the OPP was most disappointing,” Judge Brown said, “because it undercut the practical effect of the injunction order.

“That kind of passivity by the police leads me to doubt that a future exists in this province for the use of court injunctions in cases of public demonstrations.”

Judge Brown said that while he appreciates that Ontario Court of Appeal has said the rule of law can be applied in a “highly textured” or “nuanced” way when protesters are aboriginals involved in a land claim dispute, that doesn’t apply “to 15 people standing on the CN Main Line saying they were showing support for First Nations Chiefs in a forthcoming meeting with the Prime Minister.

“Such conduct had nothing to do with the process involved in sorting out land or usage claims…” the judge said.

“…it was straight-forward political protest, pure and simple. Just as 15 persons from some other group would have no right to stand in the middle of the Main Line tracks blocking rail traffic in order to espouse a political cause close to their hearts, neither do 15 persons from a First Nation.”

The judge expressed “astonishment” that Sarnia Police failed to enforce court orders for almost two weeks, and then that protesters again blocked the Main Line for five hours, just a week after another demonstration in the same area.

He already had concerns, he said, stemming out of what occurred in Sarnia, about the willingness of police forces to enforce injunctions involving native protesters, but issued the order Saturday night because CN lawyers showed how serious were the effects of the blockade of the main line.

Furthermore, Judge Brown said, police already have sufficient tools under the Criminal Code to remove illegal protests. “In light of those powers of arrest enjoyed by police officers,” he wondered, “why does the operator of a critical railway have to run off to court to secure an injunction when a small group of protesters park themselves on the rail line bringing operations to a grinding halt?

“I do not get it,” he said.

As a member of one part of the law-and-order equation, Judge Brown said, “I remain puzzled why another part – our police agencies and their civilian overseers – does not make use of the tools given to it by our laws to ‘ensure the safety and security of all persons and property in Ontario’,” which he said is the first principle governing police services.

He warned “we seem to be drifting into dangerous waters in the life of the public affairs of this province when the courts cannot predict, with any practical degree of certainty, whether police agencies” will assist in enforcing court orders.
 
George Wallace said:
I hope you are being sarcastic.  110 million, given to 1500 people who don't pay taxes, not being accounted for, has me extremely concerned.  My taxes keep going up.  I have worked hard for what little I am able to save.  Why am I working hard in the hope of a descent living in my later years, while my taxes are being freely given away to people who do not pay taxes, who do not want to work, who do not respect what is given to them and who complain when more is not done for them?  I would say that the numpty who started the topic on Male Haircuts being against the Charter of Human Rights, instead fight that NO Canadians pay taxes and those on the Reserves, Welfare, etc. get NO freebies.  How is that for discrimination?  Harm is being done to us Tax Paying Canadians, as we are emptying out our wallets to support Aboriginals, Welfare Recipients, etc.  My quality of life is gravely affected supporting none taxpaying idle people who demand handouts.

I think that we should just abolish the Indian Act altogether. It is a Racist and discriminatory document that says only if you are born to a native family may you get this special status which is above what a regular Canadian citizen has. Its basically apartheid, and is a stupid and racist practice supporting a few lazy people who refuse to do anything to try to improve there own situation.
 
ERC's previous post: Army.ca member and journalist David Akin has got a better idea upon which he expounds in this article which is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act from the Ottawa Sun:

http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/01/03/akin-more-teachers-not-warriors-solution-to-first-nations-crisis

Though he won re-election as AFN national chief last summer, Atleo had to overcome a strong challenge from Pam Palmeter, who wanted a more radical, militant, warrior-like AFN. As she launched her campaign to unseat Atleo last summer, she quite specifically accused him of being too "nice" to Harper's Conservatives and made the bizarre claim that Atleo was taking Canada's First Nations down the path to assimilation.

Palmeter then - and now - would have First Nations go to the barricades as if that is all that it would take to fix the Crown-First Nation relationship.

IMHO Pam didn't get elected as AFN National Chief, but is determined to be the Indian rabble rouser of Canada  (IRRC) including undermining everything/everybody to achieve her aim of self importance. Sore loser.

Idle No More spokesperson Pam Palmater
appears on CTV’s Canada AM in Toronto, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/attawapiskat-audit-scrutinizes-reserve-s-record-keeping-on-millions-spent-1.1103496#ixzz2HK5PwTQH

Pamela Palmater (born 1970) is a Mi'kmaq lawyer, professor, activist and politician from Mi'kma'ki, New Brunswick, Canada. Her family is from Eel River. Palmater is a media political commentator, frequently appearing for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, InFocus, CTV, and the Canadian Broadcasting Company.

Biography

In 2009, Palmater obtained a Doctorate in Aboriginal Law from Dalhousie University Law School. Her undergraduate degree, from Saint Thomas University in 1994, is in Native Studies and History. In 2012, Palmater was the runner up in the Assembly of First Nations leadership elections for national chief.

She is active in the Assembly of First Nations and is head of the Centre for Indigenous Governance. She is a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University and was formerly Director at Indian and Northern Affairs.
 
Scott said:
Ah, but my hope is that some of the smart media (everyone at CBC excluded) might see right through the ruse, if it comes to pass.

Scott

You really are an optimist, aren't you?
 
Eaglelord17 said:
Its basically apartheid, and is a stupid and racist practice supporting a few lazy people who refuse to do anything to try to improve there own situation.



There are plenty of Native Americans (Canadians?) who fall under the indian act who are not lazy, looking for handouts or who refuse to do anything to improve their own situation.
 
George Wallace said:
Scott

You really are an optimist, aren't you?

Not so long ago we were wondering why the media hadn't caught on, now they have.

If Chief Tubby tries to pull a fast one with any theatrics it might make headlines but I am reasonably certain that it'll be uncovered as a ruse later and make her look even worse.
 
ObedientiaZelum said:
You realize you're condemning it as racist only to make a racist comment 3 words later right?

There are plenty of Native Americans (Canadians?)   First Nations peoples who fall under the indian act who are not lazy, looking for handouts or who refuse to do anything to improve their own situation.

There, fixed that for you...
 
Scott said:
Not so long ago we were wondering why the media hadn't caught on, now they have.

What I can't understand, is why on earth, when we were sourcing all the pertinent info that was readily available, and posting days ago, did the mainstream media still participate in the farce that was going on?

It will be interesting to see what transpires with Mayor ( Chief) Spence as Friday draws near.

What I have yet to see is any comment from her band mates on the Hunger Strike, mis-spent funds, etc. One individual was quoted briefly in the Posts article, but you'd think in a town of 1549 there would be someone who'd be willing to come forward and speak their mind on the whole thing.
 
CBC was reporting on the radio that Spence's handlers were not in a good mood towards the media once the report of the audit hit the streets today.  They were refusing all access to the great and wonderful Oz.  Nice to see that the jig is up and some clarity is beginning to come to the MSM drones out there.

Just waiting for some little kid to point and exclaim that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes.  Hopefully someone will eventually wear some new bracelets...
 
Bluebulldog said:
... someone who'd be willing to come forward and speak their mind on the whole thing.

Not quite.
from ERs' reply #444 (Article) quote "Local reserve resident Lindy Mudd, interviewed at length by Ms. Arsenault, states quite clearly that he is ashamed by the manner in which Ms. Spence has made Attawapiskat a poster-child of native poverty."

Who's he ?

Some interesting reading here:
From Attawapiskat to a Mexican Jail Cell
dated January 23, 2012
http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/blog/2012/01/from-attawapiskat-to-a-mexican-jail-cell.html

Cynthia Vanier ?  Who's she ?

One year later, Cynthia Vanier awaits final decision
dated  5 November 2012
http://lapoliticaeslapolitica.blogspot.ca/2012/11/one-year-later-cynthia-vanier-awaits_9495.html

IMO, I think there is much more to the Idle-no-more agenda than meets the eye.
One  big  :worms:

                Articles shared with provisions of The Copyright Act
 
Interesting ties.

Still, Lindy Mudd was interviewed a year ago. You'd expect that with the information that's been flying around, and the circus surrounding Spence, that someone on the reserve would have been interviewed.

Or maybe they're laying low, and just waiting for the Mighty Chief Spence to come home.....
 
Bluebulldog said:
What I can't understand, is why on earth, when we were sourcing all the pertinent info that was readily available, and posting days ago, did the mainstream media still participate in the farce that was going on?

Because that is the "Narrative", built up over a generation of propaganda, greivance and pandering. Stories and facts that don't fit into the "narrative" are ignored. excluded or quickly passed over. George Orwell understood the idea back when he coined the term "memory hole" in the novel 1984...

Perhaps luckily for us, Orwell had never imagined that the people would also get their hands on power similar to States; "we" can run parallel news services through blogs, pull up and re post incoveinient facts, employ armies of crowdsourced fact checkers to examine data and run rings around the previous generations of gate keepers who decided what products, services and ideas were going to be available to the Hoi polloi. Think of it as the "small furry mammal" revolution that is going to eat dinosaurs like the Legacy Media and Cheif Spence.
 
I am kind of curious, given the obvious refusal by local/provincial police services, to carry out court injunctions at the behest of the railways, if this will prompt the railways to beef up their own police services, so they don't have to go through this process, every single time their lines get blocked.
 
Hatchet Man said:
I am kind of curious, given the obvious refusal by local/provincial police services, to carry out court injunctions at the behest of the railways, if this will prompt the railways to beef up their own police services, so they don't have to go through this process, every single time their lines get blocked.

Sounds like a can of worms in the making if they do.
The last time I checked, private police forces services are on the list of "bad things" -similar to private military contractors- except that the private police services have been flying under the radar these last several years.
That could change in one hell of a hurry if there was a confrontation between them and the poor, oppressed natives.

Edited for a really dumb spelling mistake.
 
CN and CP police are no more likely to interfere in a strike than any other force. It comes down to the will of the Canadian people- people have died during breaking strikes and demonstrations in Canada.

A judge will just as quickly say the police had no right to use force to dismantle a protest as he did to sign the injunction or cease order. They should have "backed out" and started negotiating or some other nonsense- given that if they would leave when asked....they would have already left. There is no public stomach for what it takes to take apart a native blockade, thus there is no political will, and then that means police brass, politicians of a type, have no stomach for the risks associated to it either. Judges seem to think that if they sign something and a police officer shows up holding it mob mentality means everyone complies.

The truth is the opposite especially when as soon as you do everyone washes their hands of you- from the judge to the public.

 
It would be interesting if the Canadian National / Canadian Pacific police services increased their presence and exercised the full force of their authority under section 44.1 of the Railway Safety Act (as well as any other special provincial appointments which have often, outside of Quebec, been granted).

It could change things up and CN / CP would not need to worry about the inability of the Sarina Police Service or the OPP (or whoever) to carry out the legal order of a judge. 

It might raise some eyebrows, but the cost of raising tactical division of their respective police services would be minor compared to the lost revenue per day due to illegal rail line blockage and the unseen cost of lack of customer confidence in the rail system. 

Interesting thought. Enjoy the running commentary / debate here.

MC
 
There are around 100 police officers in each of the CN and CP police- across the US and Canada. They are not going to be equipped to handle these types of duties. Dets of 3 or 4 officers for thousands of KM's of rail line. And their brass are just as weary of demonstrations and liability.

They call the police force of local jurisdiction when a train accident occurs. If they dont investigate major train incidents- which would seem like a logical extension of their duties....a tac troop to break up blockades seems....unlikely.
 
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