The Toronto Star reports today on the McGuinty government's secret move to curtail civil liberties through the end of the G8/G20 this weekend. Together with Stephen Harper, McGuinty has helped to create a Fortress Toronto that has some comparing the suspension of democratic rights to the War Measures Act imposed by Trudeau's Liberal government in October 1970.
When a CBC reporter asked Trudeau at the time how far he would go in suspending civil liberties to "maintain order," the Prime Minister responded, "Well, just watch me."
Here are a number of the key points from the Star article about McGuinty's granting of extraordinary police powers:
"The province has secretly passed an unprecedented regulation that empowers police to arrest anyone near the G20 security zone who refuses to identify themselves or agree to a police search...
The regulation was made under Ontario’s Public Works Protection Act and was not debated in the Legislature. According to a provincial spokesperson, the cabinet action came in response to an 'extraordinary request' by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who wanted additional policing powers shortly after learning the G20 was coming to Toronto.
The regulation kicked in Monday and will expire June 28, the day after the summit ends. While the new regulation appeared without notice on the province’s e-Laws online database last week, it won’t be officially published in The Ontario Gazette until July 3 — one week after the regulation expires...
'It’s just unbelievable you would have this kind of abuse of power where the cabinet can create this offence without having it debated in the Legislature,' said Howard Morton, the lawyer representing Dave Vasey, who was arrested Thursday under the sweeping new police powers.
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'It was just done surreptitiously, like a mushroom growing under a rock at night.'
According to the new regulation, 'guards' appointed under the act can arrest anyone who, in specific areas, comes within five metres of the security zone.
Within those areas, police can demand identification from anyone coming within five metres of the fence perimeter and search them. If they refuse, they face arrest. Anyone convicted under the regulation could also face up to two months in jail or a $500 maximum fine.
'It reminds me a little bit of the War Measures Act,' said lawyer Nathalie Des Rosiers of the new regulation. Des Rosiers is a lawyer with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which has been working to monitor arrests during the summit. 'This is highly unusual to have this declaration done by order-in-council without many people knowing about it.'
Des Rosiers learned of the regulation Thursday afternoon, shortly after Vasey was arrested while standing near the security fence."
Thus far, most of the political heat for the over-the-top 'security' and police presence in Toronto has been aimed at the Harper government. Now, McGuinty's Ontario Liberals deserve to face the wrath of everyone who is concerned about free speech and democratic rights. Even Conservatice MPPs have come out swinging -- at least against the fact that this was passed by an order in council.
Conservative MPP Garfield Dunlop told the Ottawa Citizen:
"This is a disgrace. We were sitting in the legislature when this happened… We had lots of time to debate this stuff.'"
This is a 'just watch me' moment for both Harper and McGuinty. The response required is a massive public show of opposition to the G20 this weekend in Toronto.
Note: The Movement Defence Committee has more information about increased police powers near the security zone here.
Wow. I've been pretty complacent about the McGuinty government up 'til now. But recently, they've been revealing their ugliest side. First I heard about their plans for a P3 megacorp (semi-privatization of liquor, lotteries and lots more).
And now this, his full-on fascistic support of the repression of democratic dissent.
The War Measures Act is not the best analogy. That Act allowed the government to round people up and hold them in jail without charge for up to 21 days; then to hold them for a further 90 days without a court appearance, even after charges were laid.
No, this nasty piece of handiwork from Dalton McGuilty is more reminiscent of the South African "pass laws", where Blacks (unlike Whites) could be arrested for failing to show a government-issued internal passport on demand. Or the World War Two movie scenes where the Gestapo routinely asks citizens for ID, and arrests them because "your papers are not in order".
Or the stop-and-frisk laws that the New York City cops used last year to harrass and racially profile 575,304 people and compile a huge database of information based on those searches.
These are all characteristics of a police state. And they are simply the logical extension of the airport security systems now firmly in place, which the sheeple have all agreed are necessary for their security.
What is amazing is that many people who fancy themselves "liberal" or "progressive" see no problem with these laws, and can't understand why anyone would oppose the ongoing government project to force everyone to carry a national identity card and produce it on demand. By the time they "get it" it will be too late.
I suppose it is reminiscent of the War Measures Act in that some people were rounded up while they slept and arrested. I understand that some people staying at the U. of T. residence (or at least one of them) were taken from their 'temporary homes' and hauled away to a Centre as though they were criminals. Further, most were innocent people. Looking at video footage from both events, truthfully, as a bystander looking in at all of it, the Black Beasts in riot gear and the ominous look on their faces under the protective gear, as well as the manner in which they walk forward and sometimes backward reminded me of the Nazis!!! I found this eerie beyond anything I have ever seen in North America. I know Seattle was bad but this seemed so military-like and so evil beyond measure. It spooked a whole lot of people. Then we have the Black Bloc who seemed as errie in their own manner - they appeared to be one and the same!!!! I wonder why!
Harper and McGuinty will do anything for the Queen though. This is what has occupied their time in the last days. They are too busy to even think about the G8/G20 protests! They are a-partying and celebrating their BlackBerry addictions as they visit Research-in-Motion! It's over for them! They are likely happy with the police protection of the G8G20 'guests' and feel that the police did their job. We know who the police protect and who they do not protect and orders come from 'on-high'.
Yes, indeed it did. I think this is one of the most positive accomplishments of the G8/G20 protests - opening the eyes of thousands of left activists (and many thousands of others who have seen the videos and read the news reports of how arrestees were treated) to the naked face of state-sponsored violence. Every generation of activists must come to this realization at some point, and for the current younger generation, this was their aha! moment.
Those who claim that demonstrations - peaceful or otherwise - accomplish nothing are, in this case at least, quite wrong.
M. Spector - How refreshing that there IS a positive side to all of this. Definitely, the young were jolted into reality! I have a friend who was at Berkeley during the 60's from Winnipeg and she sure got the pepper spray jolt into reality but fast! She became an activist pretty quickly too. She actually says that what she saw in Toronto (video coverage) was even worse than anything experienced at Berkeley!!!!!!!!