Tom Walkom writes that the Harper government's new citizenship bill is a Trojan Horse:
It is presented as an attempt to reduce fraud and rationalize the process of becoming a Canadian citizen, both of which are sensible aims.
But it would also give Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government unprecedented authority to strip Canadians — including thousands born in this country — of their citizenship.
In the past, the only way a person born in Canada could be stripped of his or her citizenship was to be convicted of treason:
No more. Bill C-24 would let the government unilaterally strip citizenship from any Canadian — naturalized or native-born — who has been convicted in any country of a terrorist offence and sentenced to at least five years in jail.
Other crimes that could cost Canadians their citizenship would include treason and espionage.
In all cases, the only caveat is that the person could not be left stateless.
Decisions in these matters would be made by cabinet alone rather than a court.
The Harperites know that their only real opposition comes from the courts. They have focused intently -- whether a decision involves pipelines or citizenship -- on removing the courts from the equation.
Every piece of legislation they bring forward marks them as tyrants.
6 comments:
The Harper cabal, Owen, clearly will not be content until they have removed the last vestiges of democracy from this country. In days gone by, this would have been the stuff that revolutions are made of. Instead, today we tune in to the newest 'reality' show or buy the latest electronic diversion.
Actually, Owen, I think Harper has more than one strategy.
In addition to trying to removing the courts (such as mandatory sentencing or passing these reforms of the Elections Act and putting the Chief Electoral Officer ultimately under the control of the Justice Minister), he is also trying to stack the courts, especially at the Supreme Court level.
He knows that as long as he stacks the highest court with his appointees, he can always keep appealing unfavorable decisions from the lower courts on the tab of taxpayers until he reaches the Supreme Court where his appointees would potentially prevail. Hence his desperation to appoint Nadon.
This is a guy who apparently has no qualms in giving himself all the power that he can get away with.
Our civic apathy has already cost us dearly, Lorne. Our present masters are counting on that apathy to get their way -- and to take away the last vestiges of responsible government.
I agree, Anon. His nomination of Justice Nadon sends a clear signal that he is intent on shifting the composition of the court to his liking.
Everything he does is done in an effort to make himself unassailable. He's a dangerous man.
harper has already influenced court decisions by 'promoting' sitting judges to a higher court to the favour of his 'friends' on at least two previous occasions.
The first one was to 'protect' his ally Gordon Campbell from being called to tetify in the infamous BC Rail/Basi-Virk trial where the original judge who was supposed to be 'seized' with the tial, Elizabeth Bennett, was replaced halfway through by Anne MacKenzie who effectively reversed the direction of the trial.
http://islandtides.com/assets/reprint/fedgov_20130314c.pdf
More recently he favoured his 'friend' Gwyn Morgan with a 'replacement' judge in the Jessica Ernst vs. Encana trial.
http://www.watershedsentinel.ca/content/judge-presiding-over-ernst-vs-encana-fracking-case-re-appointed
harper's guile has no bounds
He apparently believes no one will call him to account, Ron.
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