Jeff Burgar
Are Freedom Convoy members and – yes! – even their donors, getting a fair shake in Ottawa?
Bank accounts frozen. No bail for some. A prime minister who couldn’t be bothered to meet with organizers, right on the doorstep of his office. A hostile Ottawa media obsessed with honking horns and diesel fumes. A fair shake?
Actually, anybody reading about justice and crime in Canada knows it isn’t always about “rule of law” and “fairness.”
As a whole, Canada’s judiciary is much better than American judges and prosecution. American criminals of any colour, sex, social standing or fame can expect to have the book thrown at them. It’s true that rich people buy the best lawyers, and can make great bargains.
But gosh, when a Democrat judge has a known Republican bad guy in front of her, nobody expects a fair reading of the law.
Or the other way around.
Big business never wants to be on trial in California. No union wants to be on trial in business favouring Delaware. Looking for a court and a judge likely to lean your way in America even has a name: Forum shopping. It isn’t quite buying off the judge, but it comes close.
As with so many things in the culture of America, their habits creep north. Unfairness is one habit that has crept into our so-called hallowed halls of justice over past years. It’s like a carpenter ant working away in the woodwork, One day, your house seems to be creating some sawdust all by itself in one corner. Ripping open the walls, the owner is horrified by the damage.
“How long has this been going on?” the home owner might ask. “I can’t believe this!”
Most of us go about our lives as honest and law-abiding folks. Even when we break a law, like rolling slowly through a stop sign, or shaving a few dollars off our taxes, we never expect to end up in jail or against a wall facing a firing squad. That just doesn’t happen in Canada, does it?
Perhaps, just not yet!
With the Freedom Convoy, government got the right judge at the right time. A former Liberal party candidate making up rules as she went along, certainly wowing “her” local people in Ottawa with her “tough” position. Funny thing though, she has her supporters right here in Alberta. People one step away from bringing out a lynch mob to hang the Convoy.
There is failure here, but it didn’t start in failing justice or with bent judges drunk on their little bit of power. The failure is in successive government leadership, aided by complicit politicians and media, who do not recognize basic rights being trampled.
Follow the “Rule of Law?” Not so much in America!
But also not being really true in Canada for a long time!
Freedom Convoy members and supporters, and other protesters, are finding there are rules and laws for some, and not for others. We all should be disgusted by leadership, both in and out of the justice system, that let all of this go so far.