The Legislature Raids

It sure is dark inside this here bag.

Not to mention itchy.

And scratchy.

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Yeah, RossK ... makes a person wonder what these bags were used for in their previous life. Itchy, scratchy, and they don't smell good either.

But it might make a good costume for picketing the law celebrations in Vancouver on April 23 & 24 ...

Bags on heads (eyeholes allowed), we could hold our placards high:

Arrest me! I'm talking about BC Rail again!

The Chief Justice (keynote speaker for the 100th anniversary of BC Court of Appeal) will be speaking on Friday, April 23 at the Bayshore. Should be a few TV cameras around.

Might be nice to have a live-to-air chat about free speech and our Railway ...
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I do not have a good feeling about this - I don't know why.
 

I hope there will be many participants in the Itchy and Scratchy Show - or that the ones present will be ready and able to speak powerfully - with written words and with voices. Unfortunately I can't be there.

Surely there are many integrity driven thinking people in Vancouver, and surely momentum for fairness and truth is building.
 

Leah....

You have some kind of 'pleaaaaaaaaaish' feeling.....?

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Another suggested sign:

"British Columbia taxpayers want truth - not publication bans!!"

the US court oath, "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" could be added as a subscript.

I'd say watch for more unannounced/changed court dates....they read this blog, they know what we're planning.....

Does make you wonder what was in the last hearing....could it be that among the things people who were there aren't allowed to talk about is the date of the next one? i.e. to keep out the riff-raff....
 

Hi Mary,

What wonderful news about your health Mary.

Joy came over me as I read your post, which replaced the worry and sadness I had, thinking there was little hope.

Your good news Mary gave me just the bounce in my step I needed.

I went to the fight the HST gatherings in two of the local malls here in Nanaimo and in four days we had the 10% that we needed.

I’m guessing that I probably signed up 450-500 angry people myself.

Very tired now but the satisfaction is huge and my self-confidence got a shot in the arm as well.

Tomorrow I’m off to a rally at Beban Park were the headbands’ husband is going to be speaking.

I’m not in lala land thinking that Campbell is going to suddenly change his mind about this tax but I truly believe that this initiative will be the springboard to recall.

We need are government and are province back.

Keep fighting the good fight Mary we will get there.

No need to respond…only best wishes.

Thank you Mary

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Well done, Parzone!!

I hope everybody who feels the sadness of what's happening to British Columbia ...

will join the Fight the HST gatherings and feel much better

and stronger

and even happier.

I'm glad. WooHooo!!
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I like it, I like it! Let the anger go viral. Let's whip up a firestorm of outrage.

Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada makes very nice speeches about her concern about the direction that justice in Canada is taking. But... she's been saying nice things like that for years now. When is she going to actually do something?

And, although the BC Courts do not answer directly to the Supreme Court of Canada, Chief Justice McLachlin and the SCC do have certain powers they can use when a province's justice system is in peril.

Let her know that we know that.

Tell her that we want her to fix the broken judiciary and corrupt legal system in BC.

AND
Maybe target her speech at The Bayshore, OR
Maybe target the legal elites at the Wosk Centre OR
Maybe just stand on downtown corners with your placards OR
Maybe stand outside the entrances to shopping centres with placards and/or handouts (with Mary's blog address on it (like they do for Amy Goodman of DemocracyNow!) OR
...[insert your idea here]

Every one of us can do something, even if it's just a little something.

Another idea. Maybe hold information parties at your home, to inform people about a) what has been done to their assets and future, b) how secretive the government is becoming and c) what we can do about it.

The whole point is, let's everyone help each other. Let's use the energy and outrage Bill the Zalm has sparked across the province. He's 72 years old, and look at him! He's not just going to sit around and moan. Let's help him get these criminal, deceptive bstrds out!

Educate those who don't know about this. Here's a perfect example/opportunity. Young couples and families in Vancouver are wondering how they'll ever be able to afford their own home. Well duh, people. Wonder how that happened? Wonder why? Well, Gordo's big strategic plan has always been to turn BC, especially Vancouver into one big tourist mecca for the wealthy. That's why real estate in Vancouver is through the roof. That's their plan. What does this mean for the average person? Well, middle class life is gone, baby, gone. Those trendy twenty-somethings don't get it -- yet. You're either gonna be one of the few elite, or one of the masses who will face constantly eroding quality of life. Likely the latter. It's Gordo's plan -- the developer's wet dream. Ewwwhhh! The point is, these young people who think they're living the good life in Vancouver are in for a real cold shower in a very short time. Help them "get it" but it gets them.

HERE"S THE GOOD PART. We still have a chance to kill the cancer that is Gordon Campbell. BC won't instantly become a healthy, vibrant place with a robust future, but we'll be able to take back our home, our BC.

Hey, another good slogan - We're here to TAKE BACK BC!

Cheers to one and all,
CC
 

maybe this case will have to go to scoc
 

Anonymous 6:56,

How about the Supreme Court of Canada (SCOC) coming to us ...

Chief Justice Beverly MacLachlan speaks at the Bayshore on Friday evening, April 23.

If I could be there on the sidewalk, I think my placard would say GANGSTER GOVERNMENT stole BC Rail.

Or EXPLAIN THE BCRAIL PUBLICATION BAN.


Yeah, she's federal and we're provincial ... but the TV cameras don't know that.
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Ross...you got it!
 

I was told. Hansen has already introduced the HST, in the House of Commons, therefor, a province can't cancel anything, once it is in the Federal Parliament. Does anyone know if this is so? There was also, a 4 member panel to examine 8 commissions. They were to report to the Speaker of the House, April 15. It seems Campbell and Hansen are desperate, to be rid the watchdogs, hence the blacked out papers, from the FOI. The NDP, pulled the papers, to get the truth about the Olympic deficit, that, Campbell and Hansen are frantically, trying to hide. It was also said, all Harper has to do is, not bring the HST to the table. If the HST, was to be debated, all Harper has to do is prorogue parliament, once more, as he did, with the detainee issue. We are dealing with the, masters of, corruption, lies and deceit.
 

Don't know this is for sure. I read, Hansen has already introduced the HST, in the House of commons, and a province can't, cancel anything in the Federal parliament. Another site said, even if the HST, were going to go to debate in in the Federal House, all Harper has to do is, not bring it to the table, and once again, prorogue parliament and the HST issue would die. There wa also a 4 member panel, to examine 98 commissions. The panel, was supposed to report to the Speaker of the House, April 15th. Some said, it was because, Campbell is trying to, get rid of the watchdogs, that are plaguing him.
 

Hey everyone, tomorrow - Saturday, April 17th is BC Law Day, the court system's annual "OPEN HOUSE". Another great opportunity to rattle some robes!

The Chief Justice of the BC Supreme Court, Robert Bauman, was interviewed on CBC Radio this morning about how wonderful the court system is, how well it works, and how they look forward to taking questions from the public.

Chief Justice Robert Bauman said he himself was going to be present to ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC. Now there's a rare opportunity. He sounded like such an affable guy too! :) Uh, huh... Well, let's put it to the test.

People in Vancouver – yes, you! What could be better than to take a stroll over the the Law Courts building downtown and ask a few questions (generic ones, mind you, but ones that are pertinent to the way this stinko BC Rail court case is being run)?

By the way, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Terrace and Fort St. John are also holding their annual open houses tomorrow - times vary, roughly 9:30 - 2:30, I believe.

Check it out at:
http://www.cba.org/lawweek/home/main/
for various times and locations.

Bring your notebooks, manual and otherwise :) to record their wisdom for posterity (and our future prosperity).

CC
 

Many thanks, C.C.

Would this question be allowed? Like, for example:

Mr Bauman: when a Pre-Trial Hearing in BC Supreme Court is listed for a specific date and hour (such as April 15 at 10:00 AM) how do I unlock the door to Courtroom 53?

or:

Mr Bauman: do you agree that a case involving a major public asset like BC Rail should be televised so that every British Columbian may follow the proceedings?

or

Mr Bauman: how do you suppose Case #23299 came to be known as "this stinko BC Rail court case"?

Oh, I hope there are many passionate citizens in attendance to ask many questions. Tell us about it, OK?
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If what happened as Prof. Robbins notes say happened, this is totally unacceptable by a court. This is Justice?? This is a SC Judge??? If that is so, this province, this country, is in bigger and deeper trouble than any one of us realize.
Take a look around in other countries and see what happens when there is no law, there is no democratic government. Is this where we're heading?
And it all started because someone stole our railway. It opened the door up for us to see the corruption that is deep inside our government, justice system.

Truly unbelievable!
 

Curt,

I agree, it's truly an unbelievable turn of events in a BC courtroom.

I just want you to know that I've had this information verified from two independent sources,

so I think we can feel assured that what Prof. Mathews says happened, did happen.

And what you say ... tells me that you really get it ... I, too, have believed from Day #1: "that when someone stole our railway, it opened the door up for us to see the corruption ..."

That's why we must never give up on finding out how we lost BC Rail ... or possibly: did we actually lose it? Who knows, when parts of that deal are still secret.

Thanks for your comment, Curt.
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My work in the courts many years ago, the only thing closed was family and youth court and some, not all, criminal matters dealing with sexual assaults, for the protection of the informant. But once their evidence was given, the ocurt was open.
What is going on here in my opinion, is contempt for the citizens of this province.
Curt
 

Pssssttttttt...Justice MacKenzie, just thought you might need a refresher on where your salary comes from... . Guess what? It comes from US...from the taxpayers you are there to serve, to the BEST of your ability!

Not from Gordon Campbell, or Stephen Harper...or anyone else on your ladder climbing career. It comes from US! Treat US with the same respect you demand for yourself, we deserve no less.

Quite frankly, there is not a judge associated with this entire trial that I have ANY respect for anymore. And for damn good reason.
 

Think it through. With the applications dismissed what's left?
Disputed e-mails or missing electronic records. I pick disputed e-mails. Is the government holding out?
 

Mary,
I noticed Robin uses the repeated phrase "I suspect" as a kind of metaphor or leitmotif in his commentary today.

It may well be time to shift to another metaphor.

I was thinking of Zola's J'accuse.

The contempt of the ruling elite for the cause of justice and openness here in BC has, I think, reached similar proportions to that of France during the Dreyfus Affair at the end of the 19th Century.
 

Sign, and make sure all those judges and lawyers see it:

"Secret courtrooms protecting Gordon Campbell's secrets"

"Secret proceedings are not transparency in government"

"BVB were only doing as their were told. By Gordo"

that one's assuming the defence position is correct, but it's also - because it's in the defence position under publication ban, even though it's available on the net (still) - a challenge to the BCSC.

I suspect that wearing a placard containing case details might be considered "publishing".....

The secret proceedings into a case involving a US corporation would seem to be to be a cross-border issue and would impinge on that company's trade rights. I've said before the SEC should look into this, but now also GATT and NAFTA tribunals are at issue. Not that OmniMAX wants it on the agenda at all.....

The largest theft in the province's history - $2 billion worth - in a massive conspiracy/collusion, involving wantonly defrauding the electorate, massive feeding at the hog trough by party insiders and "connected" people, a rigged bidding procedure, destroyed evidence and lots more. And now a secret courtroom - not just a secret witness.

Well, here's another sign maybe:

"Hey Supreme Court of Canada - you approved a secret witness. Did you also approve a secret courtroom?"

Robin, no offense but I wish we had someone with journalistic flair to take your report and make it media-friendly for newspapers and 'zines far outside of British Columbia, be it the Toronto Star, Manchester Guardian, the New York Times or the Huff Post et al.

Unless there turns out to be a sex cult behind all this, it's unlikely to get more press than the Jaffer-Guergis-Gillani-Mihelich Affair. It's only when the eyes of the world, and the world financial markets, are turned on this travesty of "free enterprise government" that this batch of pirates and swindlers can be brought to heel.

Clearly Justice Mackenzie was brought onto the scene to repair the damage to the government's agenda that Justice Bennett had brought about by opening the proceedings for the sake of the public interest.

Not just a secret room, a kangaroo court, and a tainted prosecutor. And a judge who, like BVB in their day, is doing her masters' bidding (be that Gordo or Justice Dohm....).

Good luck with getting the Supreme Court of Canada's attention; I think that'll only happen when this case breaks open in places where the BC establishment can't control what's said about it.....
 

Skookum1, I share your concern "good luck with that" re getting the Supreme Court of Canada's attention. BUT – and it's a big but – ya never know just what gets under the collar of a robed one. Ya just never know.

Embarrassment is still high on the list of things to avoid when one occupies a place in the stratosphere, egotistically speaking.

G West, love your "J'accuse!" suggestion. Let's all adopt it, as our sign-off and/or master slogan.

Gordon Campbell & Thugs – J'accuse!

CC
 

Folks - if I knew what happened Thursday in BC Supreme Court I couldn't tell you, just like I couldn't tell you what happened in court on March 29 and just like I can't tell you if I go to court and attend another pre-trial hearing that I might or might not know about and that wouldn't be known to the public until the day it was posted online!

Isn't justice grand?

You can check my blog for a short item just posted.
 

Bill,

I just can't for the life o'me picture you with a muzzle on.

I'd much rather think of you on the podium shouting out "J'accuse!"

Because in my view, this is an intolerable situation. We dare not sit quietly with bags over our heads.
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I've just decided to print out the last few articles here, Mary's and Robins's, and hand them to the BC Supreme Court judge at tomorrow's (Saturday's) OPEN HOUSE at the Courthouse. May bring my tape recorder or DVD too. We have to be our own media now.

Maybe others can do the same.

Gordo & Thugs, J'Accuse!
I'M TAKING BACK MY BC

CC

ps I spoke with someone in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island today. They told me that there was a line-up round the block ALL DAY of people waiting patiently and angrily to sign the HST petition.

Let's have flocks of angry people show up at the Courthouses tomorrow, on COURT PR Day tomorrow. Call a friend to go with you. Ask that friend to call a friend...
 

As I see it, there seems to be very little doubt that the BC Liberal party is doing everything in its power to make sure that there will never be a trial. The tidbits we were exposed to in the last few years will be swept under the carpet.

There will be a plea bargain giving a slap on the wrist to the defendants and that will be that. There will be outrage by some and disbelief registered by the media, but in the end the government will have dodged a bullet and life will go on.

I hope I'm wrong, but if past history is any indication then the liklihood of real justice is nothing more than a fairy tale.
 

Another suggestion for a hand-out: Kevin Potvin's "Is Gordon Campbell a Made Man?" article - and it would be great if Kevin would update it huh?

People line up for the HST because they see it at the cash register, or will. They have to be made to understand that BC Rail has already taken them at the cash register, that $2 billion in public assets were given to friends of the Premier's and they've since operated the railway unsafely, shut down service etc etc. But as with the "busty hookers" in the Jaffer-Guergis case getting media attention, it's the tax bill that gets the public truly riled. This rather reminds me of '83, when tens of thousands of people hit the streets because of budget cutbacks and changes to union legislation, but the "more abstract" reality of the constitutional interregnum/crisis that had set the stage for the previous election got mostly a shrug; I know because I tried to get people in the Solidarity movement and in the Green Party to realize its importance; only a few reporters and politicians did, it seems: for those who've forgotten Bill Bennett's mandate to spend ran out on April 1, there was technically no government in BC until the L-G forcibly dropped the writ on April 5 and mandated "emergency warrants" (without a state of emergency) so that the Socreds could run in the election as well as remain the interim government. Bennett had tried to ignore the constitution; and went unpunished. That's old news I know, and not as a big a deal, commercially or criminally, as BC Rail, but him getting away with it set the stage for all kinds of things, provincially and federally, which have been "accomplished" since but which are, or were, unconstitutional and illegal (under our so-called constitution, "precedent" and "convention" in combination mean "whatever the hell you can get away with becomes constitutional").

The story about Bennett and the L-G (Gardom?) is a propos here in another way. Ever since then cronies of the establishment, like V. Palmer, have occasionally referred to the Solidarity Crisis and other events in the Socred years (e.g. the BCRIC fiasco) in terms of Bennett (whichever one) "weathering" political troubles and, surviving, that that's proof of "strong leadership". Stonewalling, to the propagandists, is the sign of of leadership. In democratic terms, it's the basis of tyranny.

So if the rigged sale has been a "success", the rigged courtroom will also be referred to as "success" and "a victory for justice" and all that other Ministry of Truth-style crap.

And make no mistake, this secret courtroom does not serve the interests of the public, or of the defence. It serves only the Premier, CN, and those connected to the trial in a "third-party" (ahem) way, or otherwise implicated in the "I cannot testify because it would criminally implicate me" sort of way. By now that last category will include various members of the judiciary and court staff.....

Sorry I'm not in Ottawa, folks; I'd do a solitary picket of the Supreme Court of Canada building while they're partying it up in Vancouver; someone picketing the SCOC, or maybe whichever federal ministry is applicable, in the nation's capital might get some coverage there and be a "thin edge of the wedge" in opening this story nationally (where it belongs). Anyone know someone in Ottawa?

Some national media types (Hebert, Gregg, Duffy etc) are still hyping Campbell for "leadership" and "vision" and so on, and have pushed the idea of him running for Prime Minister....hard to imagine him leading the federal Liberals, and while it's conceivable that he could lead the Tories, it's probably not something Stephen Harper likes to think about too much.
 

Secret witnesses, secret courtrooms, secret government, secret deals, secret warrants, redacted contracts, redacted evidence, destroyed evidence.

"Matter of privilege" barely covers the stench huh? "Transparency in government" and "transparency of justice" are just more broken promises.
 

Another suggestion for a hand-out: Kevin Potvin's "Is Gordon Campbell a Made Man?" article - and it would be great if Kevin would update it huh?

People line up for the HST because they see it at the cash register, or will. They have to be made to understand that BC Rail has already taken them at the cash register, that $2 billion in public assets were given to friends of the Premier's and they've since operated the railway unsafely, shut down service etc etc. But as with the "busty hookers" in the Jaffer-Guergis case getting media attention, it's the tax bill that gets the public truly riled. This rather reminds me of '83, when tens of thousands of people hit the streets because of budget cutbacks and changes to union legislation, but the "more abstract" reality of the constitutional interregnum/crisis that had set the stage for the previous election got mostly a shrug; I know because I tried to get people in the Solidarity movement and in the Green Party to realize its importance; only a few reporters and politicians did, it seems: for those who've forgotten Bill Bennett's mandate to spend ran out on April 1, there was technically no government in BC until the L-G forcibly dropped the writ on April 5 and mandated "emergency warrants" (without a state of emergency) so that the Socreds could run in the election as well as remain the interim government. Bennett had tried to ignore the constitution; and went unpunished. That's old news I know, and not as a big a deal, commercially or criminally, as BC Rail, but him getting away with it set the stage for all kinds of things, provincially and federally, which have been "accomplished" since but which are, or were, unconstitutional and illegal (under our so-called constitution, "precedent" and "convention" in combination mean "whatever the hell you can get away with becomes constitutional").

The story about Bennett and the L-G (Gardom?) is a propos here in another way. Ever since then cronies of the establishment, like V. Palmer, have occasionally referred to the Solidarity Crisis and other events in the Socred years (e.g. the BCRIC fiasco) in terms of Bennett (whichever one) "weathering" political troubles and, surviving, that that's proof of "strong leadership". Stonewalling, to the propagandists, is the sign of of leadership. In democratic terms, it's the basis of tyranny.

So if the rigged sale has been a "success", the rigged courtroom will also be referred to as "success" and "a victory for justice" and all that other Ministry of Truth-style crap.

And make no mistake, this secret courtroom does not serve the interests of the public, or of the defence. It serves only the Premier, CN, and those connected to the trial in a "third-party" (ahem) way, or otherwise implicated in the "I cannot testify because it would criminally implicate me" sort of way. By now that last category will include various members of the judiciary and court staff.....

Sorry I'm not in Ottawa, folks; I'd do a solitary picket of the Supreme Court of Canada building while they're partying it up in Vancouver; someone picketing the SCOC, or maybe whichever federal ministry is applicable, in the nation's capital might get some coverage there and be a "thin edge of the wedge" in opening this story nationally (where it belongs). Anyone know someone in Ottawa?
 

re: Robin "Franz Kafka" Matthews bizzare account of the shambles and disgrace of a "secret hearing" down at Robson and Smithe. Disgusting, disgraceful and damn Justice MacKenzie and the ass-holes who inserted her into this ongoing travesty of justice.

J-Mac, Wild Bill and Gordo and Gang I hold all of you in the utmost contempt!

Perhaps re-location to somewhere like Burma or North Korea would result in living in a more "transparent" and accountable society......jeeeeez!
 

Yeah, yeah, rhetoric.
What's really going on in that closed courtroom?

If it's about the only remaining loose string left before jury selection then that's got to be about material ordered by Judge Bennett released to the defence but not released by the government yet.

And we know there are two pots of that material: emails and documents recovered from the tapes that were supposedly destroyed and emails and records from the Liberal MLAs involved.

I'll bet the hearing was about one or both of those matters and the government is fighting like there's no tomorrow to keep from having them released.
 

Anonymous 7:49 - if that's all the hearing was about, there's no reason to keep it secret, or to pointedly exclude people who had a right to be in the hearing from coming in.

You sound like someone who was there....either that or one of the usual spin doctor zombies who drop by here to throw oil on the water from time to time....
 

I recently was down in LA, and the thinktank I was involved in were discussing the BC Rail deal. They did not use gordo's name at all, we used a made-up name (s) just for the comparisions. Well friends, it sounded like a banana republic when we finished. The amount of graft, lies, corruption, pay-offs, etc. The feeling was that BC, had stepped over to the darkside. I could not disagree. We have the chance, an opportunity to get our province back before gordo the impaler sells it all off. Then jailtime for himself and his gang. That would include gf's and associates on the air as well as in the papers.
 

Two things....

As per Anon-O-Mouses 'two possibilities' comment above...

1) If you 'speculate' about what 'might' have gone on during a hearing, based on already publically available knowledge, that's not the same as reporting on what went on - right?

2) To the absolute very best of my knowledge the following never, ever came up in a pre-trial hearing, but it is an interesting tangent nonetheless written some time ago by Sean Holman about Mr. Kash Heed's (former?) campaign manager Barinder Sall....Mr. Holman titled the post....Wait for it.... David Basi, MarkII?....

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Kam Lee ...

Verrry interesting!

For some reason, your image from afar reminded me of the thing Robbie Burns wished for:

If only God the gift would give [gie] us ...

"to see ourselves as others see us ..."
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Do locked doors really mean, the case of the BC Rail will be thrown out of court? Campbell, has to be in this somewhere. That is the smell, BC citizens, are aquainted with. The BC Liberal government is, riddled with corruption and scandal. To expect to get the truth from this government, is an exercise in futility. In my dads time, there would have been a lynch mob after, Campbell and Hansen.
 

Off topic, but......

The weekend-long 'Marathon To Promote Paragon' whose express purpose is to prevent Document Dump Friday-designed efforts to bury any and all stories involving it, and the previous actions of it's very fine Director, Mr. T. Richard Turner, from public view has begun in earnest over at my place.....

....here.

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First of all Skookum, not a spin zombie, but somebody who's been following this intensely for seven years now. And I think its fair to say I've figured out a few things in my time.

But the thing about this case is you have to figure it out because nobody in the mainstream is helping to understand what's going on here.

I wasn't there, but I do have a pretty good understanding of what's been before the court and what is left to complete before jury selection.

And RossK is right, I'm speculating that, given what's been resolved, the government is witholding evidence ordered released. I don't know how they can do that legally and I, like the other people on this board, didn't hear the arguments they made, but if this is what it's about Campbell's Liberals must be pretty desperate to try and stop release at this late date.
 

In my view, there will not be any more evidentiary issues decided at this point in the case - that became clear when the defence got permission to switch election from judge alone to judge and jury.

Subsequent to that decision the necessity to hammer out admissibility was not a pre-trial problem any longer since the judge will deal with this (either in the presence of the jury - OR NOT) in the trial proper.

Clearly the Defence - which hoped to have Madame Justice Bennett stay on the case - felt that the new judge would not have the kind of mastery of the evidence to continue on as judge alone - therefore the change in election.

As for the press blackout relative to 'anything' already released to the public in this case I'm mystified and my personal legal advisor is too.

I would very much like to see a debate about this between two legal scholars or experts. For example, I have in my possession transcripts of some court decisions - including one by the Supreme Court of Canada - all of which were readily available to any member of the public until Mackenzie’s strange ruling....What possible service can this current embargo upon information already in wide distribution - and the subject of considerable debate be?

If we can’t discuss the actual trial and its ephemera, perhaps we can debate the failure of the justice system to meet any kind of thorough public scrutiny.
 

Anon 12:49, here's hoping your right, cuz there are is only one other reason I can see for locking the door of a courtroom that the public has a right to access.

If they weren't arguing about evidence being withheld and it's value to the proceedings - then I worry that the reason for the locked door was to come to agreement on a plea bargain, thereby rendering a trial unnecessary. Which means, we will NEVER know the truth of BC Rail, CN, the criminals in the legislature...or those involved from other jurisdictions.
 

ORDER IN COUNCIL 171

Ministry Responsible: TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Statutory Authority: British Columbia Railway, s. 30 (1)

Effective April 1, 2010, Peter Milburn is appointed as a director of the British Columbia Railway Company.

Source: http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/oic/2010/RESUME08.HTM

*********************************

Other Proclamations by the BC Liberals via OIC and Ministerial Order Resumes (2010)

Source: http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/oic/2010/
 

Let's keep this "public" inquiry going... G West, keep those excellent points coming. Anonymous, your "Odour" in Council tip was a scoop -- no one else has reported it yet. Good work.

Know what? We are conducting a PEOPLE'S INQUIRY, because neither the government, nor the courts, nor the regular media will.

Example: I listened to CBC Radio morning show yesterday from Victoria. The host, Gregor Craigy, practically passed out from delight because he was speaking to the Chief Justice of the BC Supreme Court about today's Law Day festivities (legal establishment's PR day).

"It's not everyday you get to speak to a real judge!", he gushed. Unbelievable.

As for any pressing questions, nope, nada. Craigy used to be BC's Legislative reporter too. Jeez. Nothing on BC Rail, nothing on the Times-Colonist newspaper's excellent series about how access to court documents is being shut down by minions who simply choose to withhold or hide documents just cause they can. Nothing!

He just let the chief cook and bottle-washer of the Supreme Court of BC prattle on and on about how open and well-run our court system is. CBC has its fans, but the Victoria station is just gawd-awful pap. Wanna hear it for yourself? Go to http://www.cbc.ca/ontheisland/
Then scroll down past Playlist, until you get the list of past programs. Click on April 16, and search for Chief Justice John Bauman.

Gordo & Thugs - J'Accuse!

TAKING BACK MY BC – the Public Inquiry
 

With the anti-HST wound up like it is, I don't think the publick will stand for a plea bargain. If they plea bargained this case into the void, I think that there would be a march on the Legislature like no other. I think that the province would be shut down with a general strike. The anger is everywhere I go. I am hearing it from everyone from business high rollers to little old ladies on pensions who count their pennies so they can buy a cup of tea.
 

Canadian Canary: the CBC's integrity has been toast for a long time; somewhere else I opined that I wish David Frum had followed in his mother's footsteps instead of becoming a shill for the neo-cons; there's been no one else on that network since here who's asked genuinely hard-bitten questions....like Jack Webster, she is sorely missed in regards to this case.

Both Rick Mercer and George Stefanopoulos have had Gordon Campbell as guests on their so-called talkshows; both were glad-handing, back-slapping interviews with no real journalistic content/inquiry in the slightest. They gave him an easy ride, just as George S gave to Vicente Fox on his visit during the Oaxaca crisis. Rick Mercer is just a send-up anyway, not to be taken seriously (though he'd like to be taken as seriously as Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert....but to do that, Ricky, you actually have to ask REAL QUESTIONS). But Stefo parades himself as the voice of youth, with "hard-hitting interviews"......Campbell and his henchmen and political goons should be being raked over the grills for their failure to respect the public, and to respect the constitution.....so it doesn't surprise me at all that a local reporter in Victoria would butt-kiss someone in authority; it's all the CBC knows how to do these days.....
 

Hey Skookum1 I agree whole-heartedly about the CBC. I was trying not to shovel my views down people's throats, but since you raised the ante, here's the story that really curled my toes about CBC.

In 2003, CBC Radio news in Vancouver got caught falsifying the news. Literally, making it up. And the CRTC had them admit and apologize the "error". You can look it up, think it was March or April of 2003 that the complaint was made, and the decision/result by the CRTC came back about 6 months after. No public announcement of that, of course. Gotta keep some things private, I guess.

So, in the interest of public disclosure, here's how our dear CBC screwed with us:

CBC Radio's BC-wide noon newscast's lead item was George W. Bush's joint news conference with Tony Blair. Lots of interest then, cause they had just invaded Iraq a short while before, and at the time, Bushie wasn't keen on press conferences. But, he was steppin' out big-time on this one.

CBC Vancouver's lead newscast item stated that George W. Bush responded forcefully to challenges from the British press, then they played a clip of the question and Bush's reponse. He was quite articulate, even impressive (contrary to all the stories about this babbling idiot that the public had mostly heard about, but not seen for themselves yet).

Trouble was, some keen listeners had heard/watched the LIVE broadcast of that same news conference a couple hours before AND THAT WASN'T BUSH'S REPLY!!!. What the CBC Vancouver newsroom did in their radio newscast across BC, was to cut Bush's real response, and splice in a portion of his prepared remarks that he had read at the beginning of the press conference.

Why did CBC Vancouver do that? Because the George W.'s repsonse to the Brit reporter's (fairly mild) challenge, was to do a 20-second verbal melt-down. It was so bad that he couldn't even form words, much less a coherent thought. Bush's response was a series of sounds -- it was unbelievable. Then golden tonsil Tony stepped in to answer the reporters questions, and immediately after, the press conference was declared over. And just then you could hear Bush say "Thanks buddy" before the microphones were turned off.

So, there you have it folks. Our taxpayer dollars spent on the CBC were used to fraudulently portray Bush to the Canadian public -- at a time when there were public demonstrations across Canada against Canada joining the war in Iraq.

Oh yah, one last choice tidbit. Guess who was chair of the CBC board at the time? Well, none other than that oh-so-sweet do-gooder, Carole Taylor, who resided in an office just one floor above the CBC Vancouver newsroom.

Love to call her out on the grounds of treason, but this ain't Amurrica.... not yet anyway. But, not for lack of trying by the CBC. It's no wonder that a year or so ago, they hired an American to head up the CBC News at head office. Uh huh. What a bunch of chumps we Canadians are. And I blame our leaders, it's their job to keep the wolves at bay, not the wolves' job.

Sorry for the rant, couldn't resist the opportunity to spill the beans on the CBC.

J'Accuse! - Gordo, Harpo, et al
CC
 

CC,

A few of those beans might've been peas ... I had to read your comment twice before it became clear that you meant the opposite, when you said this:

" ... Bush's reponse. He was quite articulate, even impressive (contrary to all the stories about this babbling idiot that the public had mostly heard about, but not seen for themselves yet)."


I'll tell you what worries me about CBC ... and that's the way their budget is cut back, and back, and back. Taken all together, CBC has been a lifeline for Canada. They've survived because there are still some people there who care about those things.

To seize control of a country, first you seize their broadcast media. Or you starve them into submission. CBC wasn't assaulted by troops ...

When little Gary Lunn was first elected as a Reform MP and I was living on Pender Island, I wrote to him. I said that I understood he had a different view of the national public broadcaster but that CBC was so important to Canada, I thought he might like to hear the other viewpoint. I talked about the benefits. I asked him to support restoration of CBC budgets. Wow.

I still have his nasty reply somewhere, including a sentence which began "You would do well to remember blah blah blah ..." It's easy to see the sly assaults upon CBC in the reduced programming, the staff changes, closing regional newsrooms, and their nervousness.

Me, I doubt that we'd still have a recognizable Canada if we hadn't had our own national public broadcaster.

Do you find CBC better or worse than the CanWest brand of newsgathering?
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There was a four member panel, to examine eight commissions. It was said, Campbell wants the watchdogs that are, pouncing on him at every turn, to be reigned in. Could that be why the doors of the court room were locked? When the NDP pulled the papers from the FOI, concerning the Olympic debt, they were blacked out. Who did that?
 

P.S.

Each afternoon, CBC Newsworld has a couple of hours of non-stop interviews by Evan Solomon and Mark Kelly with current Canadian newsmakers ... no need to look to the comedians for in-depth reports.
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Yeah, Mary? Have Evan Solomon and Mark Kelly interviewed Robin, perhaps? Would be nice to see a panel of Robin, Bill, Sean Holman and Kevin Potvin assembled to go over the story (since the politicians will not comment)...add Paul Nettleton into the mix and we'd have a tea party (choice of words intentional...in fact the British Columbia Tea Party has a nice ring to it, and could coopt that name/concept for democracy instead of upper middle class tomfoolery as in the US).

Evan Solomon does strike me as one of the few with the necessary beaver-teeth to go after this story, though...and not let go. The five-star interview to get right now would be Dave Basi, of course.....

On the other hand, getting Bill Vander Zalm to talk about the BC Rail fiasco could prove very interesting indeed.....if his legacy weren't tainted by Powder Mountain, that is......(and everything else LOL). And I do wonder if Bill Bennett is cursing in his beer about the mess that Campbell has made.....
 

Actually maybe the ideal combination for a panel interview with Evan Solomon might be Joy MacPhail and Paul Nettleton, with Bill and Robin...Krog would probably want to attend, or be invited, but would be kinda eclipsed by who else was at the table so might demur.....

And who knows what Hardial Bains might know about the inner workings of the BC government, huh?
 

Hi Mary, sorry I didn't write the CBC fake news story as clearly as I should have.

To confirm, my statement about how Bush sounded so articulate referred to how he came across in the FAKE CBC Vancouver Radio news broadcast. The reality as seen in the live broadcast was that Bush was an idiot in full melt-down, way worse than I ever imagined possible.

The sad thing was that everyone listening to the CBC Vancouver radio newscast had no idea it was fake (except for a few who may have heard/seen the live broadcast several hours earlier). The result was that CBC pulled a fast one on everyone across BC listening to that newscast.

The second shock came when all the rest of the media, even the Brits, just clammed up about it. Talk about the power of the press.

But at least the CRTC made them apologize; they couldn't wriggle out of the reality of their duplicitous and reprehensible act. CBC Vancouver admitted that what they broadcast was a fraud.

But did they pay a meaningful price? Nope. Is it likely that at least getting caught out meant they wouldn't do or haven't done that again. Not a chance.

In my view CBC is actually more dangerous and damaging that CanWest because at least CanWest doesn't pretend to be something it's not. CBC, however, is thought of by much of the public as they once were, a bastion of journalistic excellence. Today, they are actually closer to Pravda or PAB than we know.

CC
 

Skookum1,

How about opposites, like Bill Tieleman & Baldrey or Palmer?

Glen Clark & Gordon Campbell?

Robin Mathews & David Mitchell?

Opposites = fireworks.

We should send in our suggestions, eh?
 

CC

Now you're scaring me. Do you listen to CBC?

Closer to Pravda ... ?
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Yeah I'd have to agree with Canadian Canary; CanWest is less dangerous because they're blatantly and obviously propaganda and advertorial. The CBC pretends to neutrality, but it's a propaganda machine; largely pushing "motherhood" issues but often insidiously so, and to the detriment of "real news"; their long-ago investigative and world-news reporting staff are now gone, and they are increasingly shills for whomever is in the PMO, and also (noticeably) for the military (and the RCMP).

Which isn't surprising at all, given the military takeover of NewsWorld during Oka, when we went from live real-news coverage of a national crisis to Valerie Pringle reading from prepared statements in one fell swoop (she came out of nowhere, perhaps because she was the only CBC staffer anywhere who was willing to do the military's bidding during the takeover).

Yes, to control a country you take over its broadcast networks. That's been done here, long, long ago....by the military....

In fact, the military interpreted the CBC's charter mandate "to preserve national unity" as their reason for taking over the network, as continued broadcasting of the truth was about to tear the country apart.....and long before that Dr. Foth and others observed that the CBC's purpose was to prevent the growth of regional identities in Canada, which were perceived as more dangerous than being overwhelmed by the Americans...it's why provincial anchors are parachuted in from other provinces (after being groomed in Toronto), and also why the then-spanking-brand-new broadcast centre in Vancouver was fully booked by Toronto-based productions from the day it opened, even though its ostensible purpose had been to encourage the development of local programming using Vancouver talent/crew. And though local news did get produced there, it was generally with people who didn't even know how to pronounce common BC placenames and were clearly fresh out of the snowbanks of the east. British Columbians need not apply etc......

The CBC never has been the people's networks. And no amount of science shows or interesting pieces on the difficult politics of distant lands can redeem that; their inability to grapple with difficult politics here at home marks them as patsies of "the regime".

Time for a tea party.
 

And if Evan Solomon and Mark Kelly are doing such a good job interviewing newsmakers, why haven't they got Bill Tieleman and Bill Vander Zalm sat down for a discussion about the incredibly dynamic anti-HST movement in BC? Why haven't they interviews Rafe Mair about his extensive and well-received series of presentations at public meetings around BC concerning Hydro and the IPPs?
 

Disagree, Skookum1.

If the public broadcaster is failing to meet your high standards these days,

look at the budget cuts,

look at the parliamentary pressures applied to the deliberate weakening of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (see the Lunn letter to me),

and tell me if you think that the citizens of Canada might have dropped the ball just a little bit here, in blaming the victim and not the villain of this piece.

CBC didn't produce the conditions which elected and re-elected Gordo.

Flawed as they may be (as everything is), CBC is the best we have.

But as you probably know -- and for as far back as I can remember -- there have always been people who hate CBC. Why is that? Would we be better off without it??
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and again, to Skookum1 ...

I have to ask: have you written to Evan Solomon or Mark Kelley with that suggestion?

I keep meaning to do so, and haven't got around to it yet ... but

you know how impenetrable the Rocky Mountains are ... I keep trying to get eastern media to pick up on the BC Rail trial. Not until one of us rides a horse up to the Law Courts on a Basi-Virk day, is that likely to happen ...

and maybe not even then, unless it's Madam Justice MacKenzie stark naked, riding that horse at 10:00 AM of the very day.
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My view, CBC has been taken over by personality politics.

Mark Kelley, Evan Solomon, TONY PARSONS for chrissakes! The list goes on and on...all glitz, no content, not much serious thought...
 

I've certainly written to Evan Solomon, repeatedly, along with his erstwhile show co-anchor Carole whatshername; not even so much as a polite reply.....typical of all CBC entreaties I've made, other than one reply I got from the director's secretary that the BVB Trial was not newsworthy as it wasn't even a trial yet....

Tony Parsons? Bill Bennett's old golf partner is now with the CBC? How's that for objectivity. Next we'll hear that Pam Martin is up for head of the CRTC....
 

Hey, Skookum1,

Somewhere in my files is a response from Chantal Hebert in which she flatly refused to consider investigating the BC Rail Case and, in fact,

suggested that I was making the whole story up!

Receiving a reply to a CBC complaint is Part #3 of the exercise. Writing to [whoever at CBC] with your opinion is #2. When the CBC person reads your opinion is #3.

Yes, it's disappointing. But it's worth doing.

And jeez, I've been thinking about the wonderful honesty of CanWest who tell their readers exactly how biased they are. Wha-a-at??

CanWest (Asper Nation, remember?) pretends to be the Voice of God telling us only what they hope will make us love Gordo ... and CanWest goes absolutely silent at the prospect of telling us what we need to know as responsible citizens. For example ...

Did you know that NO report of the LOCKED DOORS on public Courtroom #53 appeared in any news media on or after April 15? ...

and that the report of the LOCKED DOORS ON A PUBLIC SUPREME COURTROOM was published in only one place in the country?

Yes: right here on The Legislature Raids. Nowhere else. And as you can see from Robin's column, one of CanWest's own journalists was right there in the Law Courts building that day. So ...

we can hardly praise CanWest for their wonderful honesty,

while singling out the shortcomings of CBC which has never been able to afford coverage in this case.
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.
 

sorry about the #1, #2, #3, and #4 mix-up but am betting that you knew what I meant.
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Hi Mary, I'm no fan of CanWest, please don't mistake what I'm saying. I loathe them. As for CBC, I campaigned to bring a local CBC station to Victoria. So, I'm not a CBC hater.

And yes, I do listen to CBC quite a bit -- but I'm acutely aware of their slide from being an independent agency (anyone remember This Hour Has 7 Days?) to George Stromboloupolos hosting then-general Rick Hillier, parading around in fatigues on his show. It is against military policy to wear fatigues in that situation - a big no-no. But there was Hillier (with Strombo's help) trolling for recruits. What a grand PR opportunity it was for Hillier. I'm not sure Strombo even "got" that he was being used for this purpose.

CBC has strayed so far from their original mandate (with willing insider accomplices - both at the top, and inside the guts of the machine), that they are now a key part of the dysfunction of the media.

Just to say "they are the best we have" is not just damning with faint praise, it's actually enabling them to continue to be seen by the public as the "good guys".

A couple things to look for when assessing media.

It's not just whether they cover a story, but how they cover it. Oftentimes, the broadcast industry loves to trot out stats that are based how many times a story is reported or covered. Well, that's pretty deceptive, because if the story only gets 2-column inches in the paper on p. D7, it still counts as being "covered" by the media outlet. So, often they'll just "window-dress" a story, just so they can say they reported on it.

A second thing to watch for, of which CanWest is the worst, is that their online sites often do not allow readers an opportunity to comment. And lately, CBC has started to do more of that, either shutting down the length of time for comments to be submitted, or not providing readers an opportunity to comment at all.

So, I'm not trying to tear CBC down, but let's make sure that we're not unknowingly supporting the wolves in sheep's clothing who've infiltrated the Mother Corp.

The best way to help the CBC in my view, is to attack the "wolves" (i.e. the CBC Vancouver producers who fabricated the Bush news conference response, Carole Taylor who supported it, the Chicago man who was parachuted in a couple years ago to head up CBC's news division...), and to watch how they tackle stories, and when they stray, to encourage them to do better. And of course to write to our MPs... which I have done.

J'Accuse! Gordo & Thugs,
I'M TAKING BACK MY BC

CC
 

Skookum1 - yep, Parsons is now anchoring the 5 - 6 pm News on Vancouver CBC TV - apparently he's also anchoring the CHEK news for that Victoria channel too - at least until his contract with CKEK expires.

GO figure- he's 71 years old, grey and tired as an old dray horse....what were they thinking?

Not that there' anything wrong with being old and tired - but there are dozens of bright young people waiting in the lurch while CBC plays footsie with a has been.
 

CC,

I can't disagree with anything you've said here ...

my concern is with the sweeping condemnations of CBC which sound so much like the old "I hate CBC" and "Let's get rid of CBC".

To me, the rot began when CBC budgets were reduced and reduced again ... remember the horrendous lay-offs, down-sizing, shut-downs? Inevitable. And I knew, at the time, that it would play out as an erosion of quality which the Refooooorm Party could then point to and say: "Look how bad CBC is ... NOW can we get rid of it?"

Another thing I recall is a time when about 7 Inuit hunters were stranded on an ice floe in the far, far north ... and "WE" were there, searching for them until they were found and rescued ... transforming this sprawling nation in our imaginations into one village for a day or two, thanks to CBC.

Damn sure no commercial network would've done that.

Some things you can't measure in dollars and cents or in ratings. OK?

Yes, write/phone/deplore the stupid programming or poor hiring choices -- and praise the good ones -- but don't let's fall into the trap of trashing another public treasure.

I remember a long, loving presentation of Canadian veterans returning to the joyful welcome in Holland on the 50th(?) anniversary of Canadian troops liberating Holland ... it went on and on and I watched every moment of it. When it was all over, I sent CBC a "Thank You" ... and y'know what?

Next thing, I was on the air -- amongst a whole crowd of listeners broadcasting their personal messages -- people who had been thrilled by sharing that trip to Holland with veterans of WWII.

Those were the days. And that was CBC.
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You might find this interesting, as to how news stories develop ...

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2010/01/c7196.html
 

and this ... for CBC wit and style on the tawdry Jaffer-Guergis affair:

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/04/16/f-vp-mallick.html#ixzz0lb8asd8e
 

Hi Mary, I agree with your contention that over the last couple decades CBC has taken a hit in the budget, and that in Harper's administration especially, it's been hollowed out from inside. Death by 1,000 cuts, and a Trojan Horse strategy of parachuting Americans in to shape the Canadian news. And, I agree that the strategy is to injure CBC with budget cuts, then turn around and complain how crappy they are, and turn them into nothing more than any other commercial TV network.

And, I do agree that CBC does broadcast some good stuff, but now its integrity has been eroded.

Hover, not for a moment am I suggesting (never have) that we do away with the CBC. Nope. I want to take back my CBC, just like I want to take back my BC.

I think, largely, we're agreeing to agree. Thanks for a good examination of the subject and a productive exchange of points of view.

CC

Gordo & Thugs, J'Accuse!