Justice Rouleau still has to write his report. But, already, a few conclusions can be reached about the Rouleau Inquiry. Max Fawcett writes:
For those who approached the proceedings with a more open mind, though, it’s hard not to see a certain beauty in the way events unfolded over the last six-plus weeks. By and large, the hearings were defined by respectful disagreements, exactly as Justice Rouleau said he hoped at the outset. Lawyers were able to ask pointed questions of elected officials, citizens had their concerns heard out and law enforcement agencies were asked to account for their choices in full view of the public. Canada, a country that has long been defined by its commitment to “peace, order and good government,” can be proud of this process.
But don't expect the convoy's organizers to be happy:
As he wrapped up the public testimony last week, Rouleau said: “I think this process, I hope, will be of assistance to people to understand and move forward.” But that assumes that everyone involved wants to do those things — and when it comes to the convoyers and their various political, legal and media enablers, that’s clearly not the case.
They were a rag-tag group:
As the Toronto Star’s Tonda MacCharles and Alex Ballingall noted, “The overall picture that emerged this week was of a gathering of infighting protest groups that had differing and sometimes competing agendas, and lacked the ability for any one faction to control another.”
And, as the rise of Danielle Smith makes clear, they're not going away.
Image: Justin Tang/Canadian Press
14 comments:
Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
The Convoy was first and foremost a pig failure. While politicians should not be telling the police who to arrest, they absolutely should insist the police do their jobs and fire police chiefs who won't. Politicians have let police failures slide for far too long, and allow police to use their failures to demand more money. Politicians then escape accountability by hiding behind police-friendly police services boards. This cannot continue. Even our military is far more accountable to our political leaders.
If the Ottawa police, the OPP, the Ottawa mayor and the premier had done their jobs on the first weekend of protest, the EA would never have been needed and the Coutts and Windsor blockades would likely have been avoided. Instead, they all decided to make it Trudeau's problem.
Cap
It's easier to blame higher-ups, Cap. We do it all the time. Orwell understood how things work.
Hey Cap:
You wrote the first of Rouleau's conclusions for him.
"If the Ottawa police, the OPP, the Ottawa mayor and the premier had done their jobs on the first weekend of protest, the EA would never have been needed and the Coutts and Windsor blockades would likely have been avoided. Instead, they all decided to make it Trudeau's problem."
Well done. Let's hope he goes further and declares that the dereliction of duty is all part of a conspiracy.
Sloly lost his job but there are a bunch more cops (at all levels) who need to be fired.
Trudeau's problem ? Maybe Trudeau's gain.
There will be lots of fallout from Rouleau's work, PoV.
Indeed, rumley. Those who were hoping that Rouleau would bring Trudeau down will be disappointed.
"Convoys organizers" that wins the web oxymoron of the day!!
I thought that I heard a lot of of "not me, not me, it was spontaneous combustion. I just stood by the fire"
And there is no upward blame coming from here.
I'm standing by my "treason in the ranks" statement pro NPoV and Cap.
Higher meter maids with ticket books
Send the military tactical fashion models to the benches
Canada had never seen anything like this, lungta. Now we know better.
There was a time when we met the trekkers in Regina with machine guns, but that was back when we knew our own minds and were less afraid.
Some of the folks in Alberta carried their own guns, William.
@ Cap
We also must remember Doug Ford was missing in action until the Windsor blockade so the OPP probably were working with little political direction (as a best case scenario).
That's why Ford refused to testify before the commission, jrk.
The voters of Ontario knew (in spades) that the Fords (family) has always been in it for themselves. How they came to the conclusion that a leopard would change its spots when its name was on the ballot for an bigger piece of the financial pie to look after themselves and their friends is an even bigger mystery.
I keep hearing the lame excuse for not voting was "well I didn't like any of the candidates" so they stayed home????? Whatever, now a huge number of Ontario folks are paying the price and expect the rest of us to feel sorry for them.
The sad part is that Doug's got a while yet before he has to go to the polls and a LOT of damage can be done between now and then.
Voter turnout was low, Lulymay. Some of us think that there is no price to be paid for apathy. The name Ford is synonymous with that price.
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