Wouldn't surprise me one little bit

Military probes links between soldiers, biker gangs

Last Updated Mon, 30 Aug 2004 20:03:00 EDT 

MONTREAL - The Canadian military has launched a series of investigations into possible links between members of the armed forces and biker gangs such as Hells Angels. 

Military police confirmed reports on Monday that a number of probes have been carried out, including one sparked by the theft of eight pairs of night vision goggles from CFB Valcartier near Quebec City last year. 

Biker experts say criminal gangs have been trying to recruit soldiers because of their special training with explosives, guns and other equipment. 

A former investigator with the Quebec provincial police said the force has been talking with military police since at least 1998 about connections between soldiers and biker gangs after names started popping up during investigations. 

"There's some guys who do their service with the military police or do their training with the special force who've been hired or were on the program with the Hells Angels," Guy Ouellette said. 

Military police admit they're concerned about the linkages because many soldiers have training on a variety of weapons systems and also have access to the equipment. 

However, spokesman Capt. Mark Giles said cases of military personnel having unsavoury links are rare. 

"In many cases it may just simply be a bumper sticker or other things that indicate there may be some sympathies in that direction," Giles said, adding that when situations do cause concern they're closely monitored. 

The military said it can't prohibit soldiers from associating with bikers because doing so would infringe on their civil rights.

Sssssslllllloooooowwwww Justice

It took 10-years to dismiss this guy? What's wrong with this picture?

Court upholds firing of SQ officer
Police ethics commission ruling stands. SWAT-team member used excessive force, including putting gun in suspect's mouth
 
ALLISON HANES
The Gazette

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

A Quebec Court judge upheld last month the firing of a Surete du Quebec SWAT-team member for striking a handcuffed suspect in the face and placing a loaded service revolver in his mouth while making an arrest in 1994.

After a lengthy disciplinary hearing, the police ethics commission found Cpl. Bernard Bourgouin guilty of using disproportionate force in 2002 and stripped him of his badge in 2003.

Bourgouin appealed the conviction and the sanction, but last month a court judge ruled that the ethics commission's ruling was supported by the evidence and that the punishment meted out was reasonable.

"Dismissal is the most severe sanction set out in the law governing police," Quebec Court Judge Armando Aznar wrote. "At the same time, the ethical violation the appellant was found guilty of is extremely serious."

During the course of a police raid in St. Etienne de Bolton on June 2, 1994, Normand Beaulieu was apprehended by an officer he later identified as Bourgouin.

After being handcuffed, Beaulieu said he was told to "shut his mouth." He said he was dealt a blow to the face, with a closed fist or a pistol, that fractured his cheekbone.

The arresting officer then took out his gun and placed its barrel in Beaulieu's mouth - supposedly in the name of extracting information on where other suspects were hiding.

The ethics commission ruled nothing justified this extreme use of force against Beaulieu, who was slightly built, handcuffed at the time, and not posing a threat to the arresting officer.

But Bourgouin appealed on grounds that it took the better part of a decade for the wheels of justice to churn out a decision, including nearly two years from the date of the incident for Beaulieu and the lawyer he hired to finger him and lodge a formal complaint.

Bourgouin contested Beaulieu's ability to identify him as the assailant. He also questioned why the ethics panel believed the complainant's word over that of several SQ officers who offered testimony that exonerated him.

But Aznar pointed out that the arbiters based their ruling on the fact that Beaulieu told a fairly consistent story, while the officers who testified drew memory blanks, claimed not to have seen anything and were only co-

operative with their accused colleague's lawyer.

Bourgouin could still appeal the latest decision to a higher court.

I'm a steamroller baby...

So, what exactly is Irwin Cotler doing with the placement of two supreme court justices? Would a little debate on their appointment be oh so bad? This is Canada, right? The land of fairness? Not the land of totalitarianism? 

(no wonder I left this place.)

p.s. thank you, Jacques Dupuis for attempting to insert yourself in the process, as you should.

Tories blast 'sham' review of judges
Nominees should appear in person, Tory justice critic argues

CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA - To hear Justice Minister Irwin Cotler tell it, his two choices to sit on Canada's top court can pretty much walk on water. And no one disagreed with him. 

The first-ever committee to review Supreme Court candidates aired no qualms today about Ontario Court of Appeal Justices Rosalie Abella and Louise Charron. 

In fact, the all-party advisory panel of seven MPs and two legal experts asked few questions about the judges themselves. 

Instead, opposition members on the interim panel spent much of a three-hour session venting frustration about the process. 

The interim committee has no veto power, did not see a short list of candidates before selections were made, and will issue a non-binding report on Friday. The appointments must then be made official by the prime minister any time after that. 

Conservative members had to settle for grilling Cotler after the Liberals nixed their request to quiz candidates in person. 

Conservative deputy leader Peter MacKay called the process "a sham" that breaks Prime Minister Paul Martin's promise to open the high-court selection system. 

`It's a joke," MacKay said after the hearing. "It's window dressing. It's lip service. It's just running it by us for some form of credibility that doesn't exist." 

Cotler said he wasn't about to risk judicial integrity by exposing high-court candidates to such queries as "When did you stop beating your wife?" 

MacKay called the comment "insulting" and said MPs never intended to turn the screenings into a political free-for-all. 

Still, much of Wednesday's hearing was a mix of grandstanding and partisan clashes. 

MacKay and Conservative justice critic Vic Toews lambasted Cotler for giving the panel 24 hours' notice, a three-hour televised hearing and just two days to report on the candidates. Abella and Charron weren't announced as nominees until Tuesday. 

Cotler, on the other hand, spent eight months researching potential nominees, consulting with judges and lawyers, and reviewing rulings. 

Toews called it a "rubber stamp" process that strips Canadians of their right to know their most powerful jurists. 

He called it "astounding" that the candidates were not even asked if they would appear before the committee. 

Cotler fired back that all parties agreed that only the justice minister would take questions on a contender's intellect, demeanour, racial awareness and other attributes. 

New Democrat MP Joe Comartin reminded Cotler that the Liberals weren't willing to negotiate on that point. 

MacKay called the hearing a pointless review of a done deal. Conservatives had little choice but to accept a lousy process and fight for future changes, he said. 

Cotler himself all but confirmed its irrelevance. 

It would take a lot to change his mind about Abella and Charron, he told the panel. 

"Only if you can provide any clear, authoritative evidence that would disqualify a person from serving." 

Both nominees are "outstanding," Cotler repeatedly said. 

The government tried to broaden public scrutiny of top-court appointments while protecting judicial independence, he said. 

Even before the hearing began, Toews noted that Abella and Charron are both known for judgments supporting same-sex rights. 

The nine-member Supreme Court will hold a milestone hearing in October on Liberal efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. Toews suggested a political connection. 

"It is clear for everyone to see that this is part of the prime minister's agenda" to allow gay weddings, he said. 

Cotler insisted that merit was his prime consideration when whittling down top candidates. 

He also dismissed suggestions from some quarters that Abella, a renowned defender of human rights, is soft on crime. 

"This has no basis in fact," Cotler said, citing a review of her judgments. 

He also torpedoed the idea that Abella may be the court's next great dissenter. Of 313 judgments since 1994, Abella dissented in 31 - or 10 per cent of cases, he said. 

Cotler also rejected a Quebec request for the federal government to choose from a list provided by the province to fill future vacancies from Quebec. 

In a letter sent Aug. 6 to Cotler, Quebec Justice Minister Jacques Dupuis and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoit Pelletier asked for "formal participation" by Quebec in the process. 

"We insist that we are part of the decisions," they wrote. 

But Cotler said selecting from a list provided by the province would infringe on the federal government's constitutional right to name justices.

ravo Cyberpresse, vous etes le meilleur cyber-journal en Canada

Week after week Quebec's Cyberpresse - which publishes Montreal's La Presse and Sherbrooke's La Tribune, among others - scoops every other newspaper in Canada. Looking for breaking news in Canada? Go towww.cyberpresse.ca. There you will find current news long before it breaks in the other English Canadian newspaper publications. Go there now and you will find a report from today's events at the Canadian Police Chief's conference being held in Vancouver in which the RCMP warns Canadians that the world has become sufficiently dangerous and complex to the point where the police cannot assure the safety of its citizens. 

For the rest of you Canadians that never bother to learn French (your loss), guess you'll have to wait for the morning papers...

Selon les chefs de police du Canada

Le monde devenu un endroit dangereux
Presse Canadienne
Vancouver

Le terrorisme et la menace croissante représentée par le crime organisé ont fait du Canada et du monde un endroit où il est devenu plus dangereux de vivre, a déclaré mercredi le dirigeant de la Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC).

«À mon avis, le monde est aujourd'hui un endroit beaucoup plus dangereux et ce pour plusieurs raisons, a dit le commissaire de la GRC Guiliano Zaccardelli lors d'une conférence de presse qui s'est déroulée au terme du congrès annuel de l'Association canadienne des chefs de police. 

Le crime organisé dispose maintenant de moyens beaucoup plus raffinés qu'il y a une génération, et cela doit être ajouté à la menace d'attentats terroristes et aux événements du 11 septembre 2001. 

«Je crois que le monde n'est plus aussi sûr que lorsque nous étions de jeunes policiers», a-t-il affirmé. 

M. Zaccardelli et d'autres dirigeants de services de police ont participé à cette conférence de presse pour souligner certaines des discussions qui se sont déroulées durant ce 99e congrès annuel des chefs de police. 

Même s'il croit que le Canada continue d'être un des endroits «relativement» sécuritaires dans le monde, il ne s'est pas dit rassuré pour autant, soutenant que «les menaces potentielles ont augmenté considérablement». 

Edgar McLeod, président de l'association et chef du service régional de police de Cap Breton, en Nouvelle-Écosse, a posé la question et donné la réponse. 

«Est-ce que les Canadiens sont plus en sécurité que lorsque j'ai commencé ma carrière?, a-t-il demandé. La réponse est non.» 

Mais selon lui, ce n'est pas seulement un problème pour les policiers. 

«Nous avons tous une responsabilité ici, a-t-il dit. Les citoyens doivent s'engager dans leurs quartiers et leurs communautés.»

Gone Fishing

There is an interesting story in La Tribune this morning about the father of Julie Boisvenu, Pierre Boisvenu's plans not to attend the trial of Hugo Bernier, which begins in Montreal next month. Instead, M. Boisvenu intends to leave the Province on a fishing trip.

Now I've been talking to Pierre and don't for a minute think he's decided to relax and get complacent. He had a meeting with the Quebec Minister of Justice this week, Jacques Dupuis, and I can tell you that Pierre's plans for the reform of victims services in Quebec are ambitious and just what the Province needs to knock it out of its slumber.

Here is the Tribune story:

Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu n'assistera pas au procès

Isabelle Pion
La Tribune
Sherbrooke

À un peu plus de deux semaines du procès du présumé meurtrier de sa fille Julie, Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu n'entend pas y assister. Deux amis travaillant pour deux firmes d'avocats à Montréal ont plutôt offert leur soutien à la famille.

Rappelons que le procès d'Hugo Bernier, accusé du meurtre de Julie Boisvenu en juin 2002, débutera le 8 septembre prochain. À la suite d'un jugement rendu par le juge Paul-Marcel Bellavance, le procès a été déplacé à Montréal. La nouvelle avait semé la consternation chez la famille Boisvenu. Avec ce changement de venue, l'avocat Marc Vaillancourt, qui devait représenter la famille pour la tenir au courant du processus, ne pouvait plus être présent.

"On a des offres d'amis criminalistes dans deux firmes d'avocats différentes. Ils nous ont offert de supporter la famille durant le procès et ils vont nous conseiller sur les suites à prendre", explique M. Boisvenu en soulignant qu'il a bien l'intention de partir à la pêche quelque temps, question de décompresser.

Leurs amis s'attarderont notamment au travail qui a été fait en matière de libérations conditionnelles. Dans le passé, celui-ci n'avait pas exclu d'intenter des poursuites civiles contre le ministère de la Justice. Interrogé sur cette question, il répond: "La question que l'on se pose, c'est est-ce que Julie serait vivante si des personnes avaient fait une meilleure job? Est-ce qu'il y a des gens qui ont une responsabilité en plus du meurtrier?"

Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu et sa conjointe veulent "limiter au maximum" leur présence en cour. Il croit qu'ils devront possiblement s'y rendre pour le prononcé de la sentence. De plus, comme le permet le code criminel aux proches de victime, ils pourraient faire un témoignage avant que le jury délibère. M. Boisvenu précise qu'il étudie encore cette possibilité.

The Policy Centre for Victims Issues

The Policy Centre for Victims Issues was created in 2000 by the Justice Department of Canada. For the past 4 1/2 years it has been a vital resourse for victims wishing to unlock the mysteries of the Canadian criminal justice system from the victim's perspective.

The Centre's mandate is as follows:

• make victims more aware of their role in the criminal justice system and the laws, services and assistance applicable to them;
• increase overall awareness about the needs of victims of crime and effective approaches in Canada and internationally
• improve the ability of the Department of Justice to develop laws and policy that take into consideration the perspectives of victims.

The Policy Centre was initiated by a grant from the Government of Canada in the amount of $25 million allocated over a five year period. In March 2005, the funding for the Policy Centre will end unless individuals interested in victim-related initiatives designed to improve support to victims of crime speak out in support of this program.

I urge all of you to write to the Policy Centre and show your support for this vital institution at:

webadmin@justice.gc.ca