UPDATE NOV 29/07 - the government of Canada has agreed to push back Mr. Schreiber's extradition to Dec 10 but Schreiber's lawyers' refused this offer saying the matter is before Ontario Court of Appeal to decide this matter. Schreiber is seeking a stay of the extradition order pending a Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court. That is likely to be the end result in my opinion which means that Schreiber will be in Canada long enough to prepare and appear before the Commons Ethics Committee pursuant to the Speaker's Warrant.
On what basis is the Honourable Rob Nicholson, the federal Minister of Justice saying he has no authority to delay the extradition of Karlheinz Schreiber? The Extradition Act is clear that he such discretionary powers. The law clerk of the House of Commons says he does as do other legal experts.
The Ontario Court of Appeal says “…the ultimate decision” in extradition matters is political. Ah yes! There is the rub. Our Honourable Minister of Justice is appearing to be playing politics and preferring that goal instead of using his discretionary power for the purposes of good government.
Mr. Harper is a master tactician and is no doubt behind this Minister’s attitude. One can even speculate that when Harper called for the public inquiry in the Mulroney/Schreiber Affair he intended that Mr. Schreiber would never be available to testify because he would be in a German prison by then. If that is not the case, Mr Harper needs to tell his Minster of Justice that he should be serving the purposes of justice and not purely partisan politics.
What else can you conclude except the Cons are treating this situation as all about politics and not the greater goal of good government? Given the intransigence, indifference, insouciance and insolence of the Minister of Justice to appropriately exercise his discretion Canadians have to be thankful the Cons are a mere minority.
The time to end the pilot project of the Conservative minority government is coming to an end. The time for an election is not now but it is fast approaching.
The Ontario Court of Appeal says “…the ultimate decision” in extradition matters is political. Ah yes! There is the rub. Our Honourable Minister of Justice is appearing to be playing politics and preferring that goal instead of using his discretionary power for the purposes of good government.
Mr. Harper is a master tactician and is no doubt behind this Minister’s attitude. One can even speculate that when Harper called for the public inquiry in the Mulroney/Schreiber Affair he intended that Mr. Schreiber would never be available to testify because he would be in a German prison by then. If that is not the case, Mr Harper needs to tell his Minster of Justice that he should be serving the purposes of justice and not purely partisan politics.
What else can you conclude except the Cons are treating this situation as all about politics and not the greater goal of good government? Given the intransigence, indifference, insouciance and insolence of the Minister of Justice to appropriately exercise his discretion Canadians have to be thankful the Cons are a mere minority.
The time to end the pilot project of the Conservative minority government is coming to an end. The time for an election is not now but it is fast approaching.
"Canadians have to be thankful the Cons are a mere minority."
ReplyDeleteTypical Liberal, telling Canadians what they want, think and need. That's how you guys got your butt handed to you in the next election - maybe you should learn before Harper obtains his majority.
"...got our butts handed to us???" Hardly -John Howard got his butt handed to him...Mulroney set up a butt giving event going from majority to 2 seats in a single election.
ReplyDeleteGoing from a three term majority to a minority to losing to a mere minority in the face of Gomery is hardly having your butt handed to you.
My bet is an election in the fall of 2008 with a Con defeat and Harper is gone by Christmas of 2008...after trying to hang on to power too long. Look for Mulroney to do him in as the fall out in the aftermath of the Schreiber/Mulroney Affair - the truth will be told in what will come to be known as the Harper Inquiry...because he called it... on himself. No wrong doing by Harper - just lacking in the public trust, poor governing skills and insufficient qualities of character to govern.
Canadians will come to realize the can do better and will trade up.
The pathetic Harper neo-Republican power experiment is over and it is a matter of time before it happens and Canadians dump him.
The Australian election was called the first "Climate Change Election" by the Guardian. That is what doomed Howard and that is what will do the same for Harper.
Just keep dragging your feet on the environment and denying the science Steve and get ready to go into exile in Crawford Texas with your buddy Bush come Jan 2009.
Wow - you're really losing your marbles over this one...
ReplyDeleteI like to think we can discuss these concepts, Ken, but you've gone right off the deep-end...
Do you seriously believe that it is this rhetoric - the same over-the-top crazy rantings being put forward by the new(ish) Liberal Party - that will convince Canadians you are the responsible choice?
My guess is that deep down, the rhetoric is designed to hide the fear that people have actually seen the truth - that the Liberals were lying to them about the Conservative Party election after election - and they know that their grasp on power is failing.
Some handle it with dignity and with a sense of renewal - other rant and rave, scream and shout, knowing full well it's all they can do anymore.
Will - rhetoric??? You think this comment is rhetoric? Re-read your comment if you want to see rhetoric. You have not provided a single fact in rebuttal.
ReplyDeleteI don't post anything I don't believe - and I don't think you do either.
Tell us why to Minister of Justice would not allow for Schreiber to have an extradition stay so his appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal could be heard by a Canadian citizen?
Why did his department only allow for an extension today and only until Dec 10 for that purpose?
Why would he not allow a reasonable stay so a Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court could be heard and decided? Schreiber is a Canadian citizen and has not even charged with anything in Canada, yet he is in custody and hardly a flight risk!
The only reason I can imagine the Cons are behaving the way they are is so Schreiber would not be available to appear before the Commons Committee on Ethics.
Foiled again! The government of the people (the MPs in the Commons) has had to step in and control the Executive Branch through the Speaker's Warrant. This is a device used only for the 2nd time in Canadian history...because Nicholson was not prepared to do his job.
If I have the facts wrong or there is a better answer - please provide it to us. You are a Con Party insider - you would know the reasons for such behaviour. Or at least could find out and share with the rest of us.
Please cut the rhetoric and deal with the substance of this very serious breach of duty by your Minister of Justice - he sure isn't mine!!!
Very mature - the Minister of Justice is using only rhetoric so I should and can too! Geesh, you are going off the deep end.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 9:27 - who said Nicholson is using rhetoric? I don't understand your comment. I say he was not doing his job. Eventually a partial change of heart occurred and a ten day extension of the extradition order was issued.
ReplyDeleteAs for the deep end and being in deep water - it would appear that some of our politicians are already there.
Nothing in anything we have heard yet implicates Mr. Harper and his distancing himself and his governmetn from Mr. Mulroney is most appropriate.
Insisting on honesty and integrity and a forthright adherence to such principles by our political masters (past and present) is not over reaction.