Is Rod MacLeod’s ungagged legal victory against basilian pedophile priest why catholic/extreme right white lawyers took over Ontario’s law society a year later? To keep vatican’s Pedophile Ring & “Silent Shuffle” busy? Jury was blunt: “Put children in harm’s way – grossly negligent. … Betrayal of trust with the community.”
Law Society of Ontario taken over by ‘right-wing, fundamentalist religious zealots?’ by Michele Mandel, May 3, 2019, Toronto Sun
Some lawyers are raising the alarm about a slate of new directors to the Law Society of Ontario that includes those opposed to abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
“The convocation has 28 new benchers (directors), 22 of which were on a slate that was being promoted by a group of right-wing, fundamentalist religious zealots who, in my words, are one-trick ponies,” charges former law society director Michael Lerner.
“The profession will now be regulated in a manner to promote the beliefs of those who now form the majority and include people on the record for being anti-abortion and anti-gay.”
The London lawyer warned many in his profession had no idea who they were electing to the board of directors.
“To be blunt, we have a slate of no-names who provided only minimal personal information on their election website.”
The contentious election last month to choose 40 directors, or benchers, to the law society’s board saw more than half come from the fully elected StopSOP slate — a group that ran on its determination to repeal the society’s controversial requirement for a compulsory “statement of principles.”
They argued the regulator’s requirement that every lawyer now acknowledge their “obligation to promote equality, diversity and inclusion” was an unacceptable mandate that “compels speech, infringes freedom of thought and conscience, and imposes a political litmus test” for the practice of law in Ontario.
“It’s a weird slate,” noted well-known lawyer Clayton Ruby, who was a bencher for 40 years. “A significant number of them are people who have right-wing religious views and little else to recommend them to office.”
In the past, he said, benchers were well-known leaders of the profession.
“One has only been a lawyer for two years,” Ruby scoffed of the elected slate. “These are single issue benchers.”
The StopSOP group includes several lawyers on the losing end of the Trinity Western University (TWU) fight against the Law Society of Ontario, which refused to accredit the proposed Christian law school because its covenant bans students from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”
New bencher Gerard P. Charette, a Windsor lawyer and ordained Roman Catholic permanent deacon, unsuccessfully sought to intervene in support of TWU at the Supreme Court, which went on to uphold the law society’s right not to recognize its graduates.
Do Catholic authorities have any credibility after their decades of cover-ups after cover-ups after cover-ups of “religious” men in positions of power raping children?
Ernst was raped, often, as a child, by married, white, heterosexual, church-going Christian men, ……………. never by gay, nonreligious or non-white persons.
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New bencher Phil Horgan is president of the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL). He’s on record supporting TWU, opposing the same-sex marriage law as “a very destructive piece of legislation for family life and religious freedom both now and in the future,” and criticizing the Supreme Court for convicting a man of hate speech for distributing anti-gay pamphlets.
Asked about his role with the Catholic Civil Rights League, Horgan said, “I’m not sure how it will impact anything I do as a bencher with the law society.”
He dismissed worries their slate is pushing a hidden fundamentalist agenda.
“We have some religious folk, Christians, Catholics, Jews, I don’t know everybody’s religious persuasion,” Horgan said. “We have people from across the political spectrum…who oppose compelled speech.”
Unlike the law society’s former board of directors, he doesn’t believe lawyers have a systemic racism problem.
“I’m not persuaded of that,” he said. “I think the profession in Ontario is quite open.” [Open like paving access to rape children via pedophile lawyers?]
Lori Anne Thomas, president of the Canadian Black Lawyers Association (CABL), said it’s ironic that many of the same people opposed to the law society’s required statement of principles had no trouble with Trinity Western demanding students sign an agreement forbidding sex outside heterosexual marriage.
“The concern I have is that some — not all — of the StopSOP benchers might actually roll back some of the equality, diversity and inclusion efforts that have been made by the law society and make us feel even less wanted in the profession than we were before,” Thomas said.
“We will be watching.” [Ernst is watching too]
Cartoon from Justice D W Perras Report on EUB’s “repulsive” spying scandal
EUB (Energy Utilities Board) was ERCB (Energy Resources Conservation Board). After the spying scandal, Alberta govt switched EUB back to ERCB; after Ernst’s lawsuit went public, govt turned it into AER (Alberta Energy Regulator).
Refer also to:
Law Society of Ontario a Pedophile Ring? Racism, misogyny *and* enabling sexual abuse of children? Ottawa lawyer, John David Coon, in custody for sex crimes against four-year old daughter of one of his clients. Law Society documents reveal they gave Coon licence to practise law despite knowing of his prior criminal conviction for sexually assaulting another child
CRIME Child-sex tourism continues to rise in Canada and abroad: two year study. “In Canada, indigenous women and children are especially vulnerable and are often moved around to be exploited near oil rigs”
Q & A with Andrew Nikiforuk by The Hill Times: “Democracies die without uncomfortable truth-seekers like Jessica Ernst. How could you not like a story like this? It is inspiring. Everyone should take notice.”
… Why is [Slick Water] important and who should read it?
“The book exposes much hidden science about fracking as well as the legal mechanisms that the oil and gas industry have used to hide related damages.
Incredibly, the Catholic Church used the same legal mechanisms to cover up the abuses of pedophile priests in cities like Boston years ago. A representative of the Bishop offered money to the abused family and demanded that they sign confidentiality agreements. Meanwhile the Church sent the abuser off to another parish. The shale gas industry has employed the same legal chicanery. They give abused landowners a cheque and then ask them to sign non-disclosure agreements and all to maintain a regulatory fiction: that fracking is safe and proven.
“Ernst will not settle out of court with her abusers or let the facts about groundwater contamination be swept under a legal carpet. That’s what makes her story so important.”
Disgraced ex-judge Robin Camp said he’s learned his lesson. Really? “Knees Together” Camp Accompanied Ezra Levant On Trip To Train UK Rebel Staff, Camp stood by his comments about sexual assault, ex-Rebel employees say
No wonder Canada’s legal system slithers around in Hell: ‘Knees together’ ex-judge Robin Camp should be able to practise law again, his lawyer argues
How prevalent is racism (and misogyny) among Canadian lawyers & judges?
Would Justice Robert Beaudoin have let the rapist off if his daughter was one of the women raped? Ontario Crown serves Paul Batchelor notice of appeal, claims trial judge made errors. Errors or misogyny?
No wonder Canadian “justice” is so often misogynistic, racist &/or abusive. Looking in the mirror: Harassment in legal workplaces
Misogynistic Justice. Rapist after rapist set free by Canadian judges. Think those judges will let you seek justice if your water is frac’d by Encana, enabled, covered-up by authorities with AER violating your Charter rights trying to terrify you into submissive silence, enabled by Supreme Court of Canada?
Cornwall, Canada: Pedophilia victims given large settlements to get rid of their lawsuits, including 16 against Catholic Church, in all possibly totaling $70-100 Million with some individuals getting less than $20,000. “The Inquiry found the Catholic Church, police, the Ontario government and the legal system all failed to protect children from sexual predators.”
Same-sex marriage feud not over by Jessica Ernst, November 13, 2008, The Edmonton Journal
Paula Simons’ article on same-sex marriage suggests the controversy is all but dead. (“Alberta has come a long way on same-sex marriage,” Nov. 8.)
Shamefully, in my community, the controversy and discrimination against homosexuals still rages strong. Pre-1967 interracial marriage was illegal in America. A scant 41 years later, an African-American was elected president. What a dramatic improvement, yet still some states voted to forbid same-sex marriage.
Do heterosexuals have the right to condemn same-sex couples or judge which couples are allowed to legally marry? I think not, not even if they are elected [or church] officials.
I proudly support same-sex marriage being legally recognized in Canada. It takes great courage to create and accept change.
I admire and respect the changes Canada is making, but sadly I think some conservative Albertans, including our elected officials, are afraid — afraid of the miraculous change that is leading towards a less discriminatory acceptance of love, commitment and marriage between two people.
As my lifelong friend says “love is love and family is family.”
Why do good people promote hatred? I think it is because they are afraid and ignorant. Articles like those of Paula Simons do much to alleviate such fear and ignorance. I thank The Journal for this.
Jessica Ernst, Rosebud© The Edmonton Journal 2008
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This post is for Franca and her mum.