Photo Credit: Canwest News Service

On January 18, the Harper government announced the appointment of a new chair to the Commission for Public Complaints about the RCMP (CPC) – the organization tasked with conducting investigations into complaints about our national police force. Ian McPhail, a lawyer specializing in wills & real estate and a long-time contributor to the Conservative Party was appointed to the position despite having no previous experience in criminal law. In an interview with Colin Freeze of the Globe & Mail, Mr. McPhail told Freeze “you probably know more about the background [of the CPC] than I do”.

Paul Kennedy, the outgoing chair of the CPC expressed concern over McPhail’s qualifications, as well as the seemingly partisan nature of the appointment. Both he and Shirley Heafey, the previous CPC chair, had extensive experience working with federal security and regulatory bodies before taking on the role as chair of the CPC. McPhail’s only experience working with a federal security agency was his week long appointment as vice-chair of the CPC just prior to the January 18th announcement.
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Photo Credit: Maxpower

The unabashed cowardice of Stephen Harper’s latest move may rekindle the suspicions of many voters come election day. It is safe to surmise, yet early to assume, that Harper is attempting to force the opposition to trigger an election by timing his important confidence motions for the spring of 2010. With two solid election victories under his belt, it is no wonder why Harper might want to take a shot at the long coveted Conservative majority. However, this overly cautious move to suspend government business as a lead up to his big power play harkens back to the Harper from 4 years ago. It is starting to look like the long awaited socially conservative Harper may be stepping into the light.

In his recent interview with Peter Mansbridge the Prime Minister makes no bones about his effort to change his image. He admitted becoming a less partisan leader, yet he openly expressed his contempt for the opposition in his tone and his belittlement of their inquiries into government business. Harper admits that he is anxious and frustrated that Senate Reform has not moved forward, all the while drooling over the new power balance he’ll create with his new Conservative appointees. And worst of all, he admits that he will be looking to these new Conservative Senators to advance crime legislation that has been roundly rejected by our delegates in the Senate. This last hypocrisy is the most telling of what is on the mind of our Prime Minister.
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Cigarette prices keep going up and there are increasingly less places one is free to smoke. Cigarettes cannot be shown in stores and cannot be advertised. It is not an illegal habit – it is just an increasingly inconvenient one to enjoy. Even with the stigma of death being attached to each pack and the constant reminder of health repercussions to the smoker and those around them, smoking continues to be seen everywhere. However, it is not just the traditional corporate brands being enjoyed. Many of them are lesser known brands of contraband cigarettes. The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco and The Canadian Convenience Stores Association recently released a report explaining a connection between illegal cigarettes and organized crime including drug and weapons smuggling. The CCSA points to contraband cigarettes being the primary cause of difficulties felt by convenience store owners around the country.
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Yesterday’s sitting in the House of Commons to scrap the long-gun registry, which currently documents the whereabouts of over 7 million shotguns and rifles, is absolutely terrifying. Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan stated that “the long-gun registry is very efficient at harassing law-abiding farmers and outdoor enthusiasts, while wasting billions of taxpayer dollars”, while a study by the auditor general in 2006 stated that eliminating the long-gun portion of the registry will only save around $3 million a year. The RCMP also stated that in 2007 the registry was used more than 2.5 million times.
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Stabbing incidents in Winnipeg are on the rise.

In Winnipeg violent crime is reaching an all time high. With good reason, many people are citing gang violence as the culprit for the recent spike in shockingly brutal activity. Citizens are turning with raised eyebrows to a provincial government that has been fighting a ‘war on gang violence’ for ten years with little success. In fact the number of serious trauma cases in the city is growing by as much as 10% a year. One 13 year-old boy who, along with his nine year-old sister witnessed a violent altercation between gang members in his neighbourhood said, “…I just wear black or something. If I wear red around here I’ll get shot or something.” Some officials are attributing the recent increase to the availability of weapons on the street, as gun crime is on the rise.

However, it would appear that gang violence is not the cause for the bulk of the full morgue slabs and hospital beds. Only 26% of homicides in Manitoba are gang related. (more…)