A week before the upcoming byelections in Vaughan, Conservative candidate Julian Fantino is still drawing criticism from right minded people for his role in the Caledonia crisis. His "great mistake" was carrying out the policy of Dalton McGuinty's government. Remember the road from Ipperwash to Caledonia. In September of 1995 a group of First Nation protestors occupied the Ipperwash National Park. When small bands of native mobs started spilling out of the park into adjacent civilian areas, the Ontario Provincial Police assembled a Swat Team/Riot Squad to force protestors back into the park, a riot broke out, and somebody was killed. Ontario Liberals (including especially Dalton McGuinty) hammered the Harris government forevermore for the forceful response in the Ipperwash case.
Fast forward to 2006 and suddenly Dalton McGuinty is sitting in the Premier's office when a similar land dispute gets nasty in Caledonia. Paranoid that Caledonia will become his Ipperwash, Dalton sets up a policy of ‘passive containment’ and ostensibly stops enforcing the rule of law in that area. It was government policy. As Jonathan Kay wrote in 2007: "Since the crisis began, Dalton McGuinty's government has been petrified of taking decisive action, lest the Toronto media compare his actions to those of Mike Harris' government during the Ipperwash Crisis of 1995. At numerous points during the Caledonia standoff, the OPP has been ordered to sit on their hands despite numerous provocations by native protestors."
I am not trying to argue that the order of passive containment was the best course of action, but that policy came from Dalton McGuinty's government, not Julian Fantino. He was the civil servant instructed by the provincial government to avoid a violent confrontation with native protestors at all cost. The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is responsible for law enforcement services in the province of Ontario, including the Ontario Provincial Police, jails, parole boards, public safety and disaster management.
How exactly should our police force respond to these types of incidents? I think the answer lies somewhere in between Ipperwash and Caledonia. As one OPP Sgt was recorded saying the day before the deadly Ipperwash riot, "we want to amass a fucking army. A real fucking army and do this. Do these fuckers big-time". I don't think that's the answer. At the same time, I don't think suspending the rule of law because you're afraid of bad press is an appropriate response either. Some of you want to blame Julian Fantino for Dalton McGuinty's poor judgment. I guess Fantino should have raised an army to "do those fuckers big-time" and defy the orders of the elected government who sets their policy?
When punks threaten and posture in a threatening manner, the next step will be that they will increase their theater to the next ugly level unless someone "does these fuckers big-time". That's not radical or racial...but it is real.
ReplyDeleteIn Toronto on Saturday the sat on their hands, on Sunday they acted and arrested 1,100. They release 900 without charges.
ReplyDeleteIt appears to me the breakdown was Saturday and an over reaction on Sunday.
I initially did not support an inquiry but think McGuinty-Miller-Blair should testify regarding the action on the Toronto streets.
This did not happen in Vancouver or Muskoka. We did have a problem with APEC UBC and Quebec City.
Yes,Fantino should have had the activists arrested on Day One. There is no heroism in being a "Good German".
ReplyDeleteFantino was the Chief of a police force in a democratic Country,he had nothing to fear but being fired from his job. His DUTY is to serve the LAW, not some hack politician. Any real police officer(as opposed the the PC type) understands that.
People are asking on conservative blogs,"where are all the statesmen". I don't know where "the statesmen" are, but Fantino is definitely NOT one of those.
We need another compliant politician in our Country like we need more syphillis, and Fantino has shown that he doesn't have the courage to speak out against injustice.
When the day comes that Islamic activists try to have Sharia Law enacted in Ontario for Muslim people, I'm sure we can count on Fantino to just "go along" with the PC crowd.
He failed in his duty to the law and the people of Canada. We do not need any more principle-less scoundrels in our political system.
Ontarians,Vote the man OUT.
"I guess Fantino should have raised an army to "do those fuckers big-time" and defy the orders of the elected government who sets their policy?"
ReplyDeleteAre you fouking kidding me here with that statement. The law of the land is the law of the land for all. What are you suggesting with that closer? Could it be you are suggesting that the law is distributed at the whim of politicians. So some laws are OK and to be enforced for one group but if Squinty sais don't apply to another group the law is relaxed or as in Caledonia not enforced at all in some instances. That's pure BS.
Bverwey, I don't think it is fair to blame Fantino for a policy failure of the McGuinty government. That's what I'm "suggesting with that closer".
ReplyDeleteIce - I'm torn. Caledonia was a disaster, but are you and other critics saying the police should have disobeyed the elected government? That's a tricky call. It's easy to say that so-and-so should have stood by his principles and quit rather than obey orders; but then it's always easy to call for someone else's sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteIceman
ReplyDeleteMy point is not assesing blame but rather that the person in charge of the law should not be swayed by political policy. The law is the law...Fantino was intrusted to uphold that law for citizens of Ontario equally. He failed in that trust and hence is not worthy of further trust.
Julian should have ignored the orders of his boss?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteJulian should have ignored the orders of his boss?
Yes. His real 'boss' is the law, and no one has the power to waive or suspend that law without an act of Parliament authorizing it. He should have done his job.
(but now that you mention it, that is exactly the reason why organizations like CAPC should be ignored when they comment on matters of law and justice: the police chiefs are political appointees who only do or say what their political masters tell them to do and say...)
Fantino did what he was told to do by the government. The government is us. Fantino was acting on orders of the government of the day. Office Deane who shot and killed Dudley George was acting on government orders, and we all know how that turned out. Fred would you prefer the police acted on their own accord? enforced the law any way they saw fit? set their own agenda, accountable to no one. There are many First Nations land claims disputes to be settled, that means many more Oka, Ipperwash and Caledonia events. How they are handled is a government responsibility, not a police responsibility. Go and read the First nations take on it, it might give you a better understanding where they are coming from.
ReplyDeleteMaybe our problem stems from political correctness that seems to cause a blind eye in general when it comes to native transgressions. I'm thinking illegal smokes and so much more that occurs all across the country.
ReplyDeleteThis is a Pandora's Box that nobody wants to open.
McGuinty appointed Fantino to do a job. He did it. I'm not happy about what happened in Caledonia - not at all. But this is a systemic problem. Let's deal with it as such.
But no politician has the guts to do it.