Saskatchewan gov't tables Parents' Bill of Rights

Sask. Parental Bill of Rights introduced, notwithstanding clause to be invoked | CBC News | Adam Hunter: 

October 13, 2023 - "The Saskatchewan government introduced Bill 137, the Parental Bill of Rights, on Thursday morning, moving ahead with its plan to invoke the notwithstanding clause to protect a controversial new policy dictating how schools deal with gender-diverse students.

"'Parents should always be involved in important decisions involving their children,' said Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill. 'The parental inclusion and consent policy introduced in August and now this new legislation we are introducing today will ensure that continues to be the case.' Cockrill said the legislation 'provides clarity that the policy will remain in place.'

"Once passed, the law will require schools to receive consent from parents to use a child's gender-related preferred name or gender identity if they are under 16. The bill also says that if a child feels they will suffer physical, emotional or mental harm from the school seeking consent, the principal will direct the child to school support staff to develop a plan to eventually tell their parent. The government said the amendments are meant to keep parents informed and will support students....

"Opposition house leader and justice critic Nicole Sarauer spoke in the house for two hours following question period. She spoke against a government motion to double the maximum debate on the bill over the next week from 20 hours to 40. Sarauer was critical of the government's claim the bill can be scrutinized properly in a week.... 'To call that extra time, extra scrutiny, is an absolute joke and a farce, and it's slap in the face to democracy in this province. Especially when we're talking about a piece of legislation that's going to use the notwithstanding clause to trample on the rights of Saskatchewan children,' she said....

"Cockrill was asked if he was comfortable overriding the rights of children with this legislation. 'I think over the next number of days we're going to get into a debate on the collision of rights and how the notwithstanding clause addresses that. I know I'm comfortable with the legislation that's been introduced today and how that will play out,' he said.

Government and Opposition MLAs will return on Monday. It is expected that extended hours that will have the house sit from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. CST could start Tuesday and run until the following Sunday. Premier Scott Moe had called the legislature back early to introduce the new legislation before the fall sitting starts on Oct. 25.... Moe told reporters on Tuesday his government called an emergency session to introduce and eventually pass the bill in order to protect the policy from court challenges.

"'With respect to the notwithstanding clause itself, that is part of the Charter and it was put in place so that elected members in the future would be able to determine which of those rights ultimately would be in place moving forward. And that is ultimately why it is being utilized here,' Moe said."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-bill-137-notwithstanding-clause-1.6993335

Federal justice minister reacts to Saskatchewan’s plan to use notwithstanding clause | CPAC | October 5, 2023:

Israeli gov't letting citizens arm themselves

In the wake of last weekend's terrorist attacks, Israel's National Security Minister has "directed the Firearms Licensing Division to go on an emergency operation, in order to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves."

Israel Eases Guns Restrictions Amidst Security Failures | Reason | J.D. Tuccille: 

October 13, 2023 - "In the wake of the Hamas terrorist organization's murderous attacks on Israel, the country's government is admitting — not for the first time — that even Israel's extensive security apparatus can't be everywhere to protect everyone. Under the pressure of bloody events, officials are again making it easier for civilians to acquire and carry firearms for self-defense. 'Today I directed the Firearms Licensing Division to go on an emergency operation, in order to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves," announced National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. 'The plan will take effect within 24 hours.'

"By no means does the order eliminate the country's tight restrictions on guns. But it's an acknowledgment that too many Israelis were  caught with limited access to the means of self-defense when Hamas terrorists crossed the border from Gaza and attacked civilians.... Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were caught flat-footed and scrambled to catch up with events.

"This is actually the second time this year that Israel's government loosened gun rules in response to attacks on the public. 'Israel's security cabinet has approved measures to make it easier for Israelis to carry guns after two separate attacks by Palestinians in Jerusalem over the past two days,' the BBC reported in January. That followed an earlier reform allowing more civilians to carry defensive weapons in 2018. 'Trained citizens who hold weapons in the public sphere contribute to the feeling of security,' then-Security Minister Gilad Erdan said at the time. 'They are an important line of defense against "lone wolf" actions and are used in a sense as a temporary force multiplier, thereby strengthening public safety.'

"As sophisticated as Israel's security apparatus is, it's not omnipotent. The failures of intelligence services and military forces have led to recrimination and will undoubtedly result in changes. But human institutions are flawed and even the best are vulnerable to enemies capable of probing for weaknesses and planning around them. That's an ongoing problem for officials challenged with protecting the public from criminals and terrorists. Then-Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble wrestled with that dilemma after a 2013 terrorist attack at the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya. 'Societies have to think about how they're going to approach the problem,' Noble told ABC News. 'One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that.... You have to ask yourself, "Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an evolving threat of terrorism?" This is something that has to be discussed,' Noble added.

"Israel is making a choice now after Hamas terrorists penetrated the 'extraordinary security' around Gaza with explosives, boats, and paragliders. With that barrier penetrated, too many Israelis proved to be soft targets for assailants who butchered their way through communities.

"Ukraine made similar choices after Russia invaded at the beginning of 2022, putting many civilians on the front lines in their own homes. 'We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country,' President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. 'Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.' Ukrainians anticipated that necessity, flocking to arm themselves in the days before Russian troops crossed the border.... Polling later found that 58 percent of Ukrainians supported wider civilian gun ownership....

"The hard truth is, no matter how well-funded and trained law enforcement agencies and military forces may be, they're imperfect. The only people guaranteed to be at the site of any attack are the perpetrators and those positioned to be either victims or survivors. If those people don't have the means to defend themselves and are stuck waiting for rescue, they're more likely to be relegated to the victim category than to emerge as survivors....

"Best wishes to the people of Israel, and elsewhere, who have suffered threats in the past, face them now, and will experience them in the future. All people have an absolute right to defend themselves and that right, and access to the means to exercise it, should be respected by law everywhere."

Read more: https://reason.com/2023/10/13/israel-eases-guns-restrictions-amidst-security-failures/

Israel Now Wants As Many Citizens Armed As Possible Reversing Their Strict Gun Control | Colion Noir | October 10, 2023:

Liberals' "No More Pipelines Act" unconstitutional

The Trudeau government's Impact Assessment Act, dubbed the "No More Pipelines Act" by its critics, unconstitutionally exceeds the limits of federal jurisdiction, Canada's Supreme Court has ruled. 

Supreme Court rules environmental impact legislation largely unconstitutional | CBC News | Joel Dryden:

October 13, 2023 - "Canada's top court has delivered a highly anticipated judgment, writing in a majority opinion that Ottawa's Impact Assessment Act (IAA) is largely unconstitutional. The IAA, previously known as Bill C-69, allows federal regulators to consider the potential environmental and social impacts of various resource and infrastructure projects. It was enacted in 2019. The IAA has long been controversial among conservative politicians in Alberta, including former premier Jason Kenney, who frequently referred to it as the "no more pipelines act." 

"The ruling was part of a 'reference case,' which involves the provincial and federal governments asking courts for advisory opinions. It doesn't mean the law is now off the books — a ruling such as this from the Supreme Court of Canada is not necessarily binding, but is traditionally treated as being binding by governments, noted David Wright, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary. 'I think what we can expect is the federal government is going to get to work very quickly to put together a suite of amendments to bring the act into conformity with the law,' Wright said.

"Writing for the majority in a 5-2 decision, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Richard Wagner said the process set forth in Sections 81 to 91 of the IAA were constitutional and could be separated out. Those sections involve projects carried out or financed by federal authorities on federal lands, or outside Canada, and therefore fall under federal jurisdiction. Those provisions were not challenged as unconstitutional. 

"However, Wagner wrote that the balance of the scheme, involving 'designated projects,' was unconstitutional. Under the IAA, designated projects are those projects that are set out in the regulations or are subject to a ministerial order. 'In my view, Parliament has plainly overstepped its constitutional competence in enacting this designated projects scheme,' Wagner wrote.

"Wagner wrote that environmental protection remains one of today's most pressing challenges, and Parliament has the power to enact a scheme of environmental assessment to meet this challenge. 'But Parliament also has the duty to act within the enduring division of powers framework laid out in the Constitution,' he wrote. 

"Dissenting Justices Andromache Karakatsanis and Mahmud Jamal wrote that they believed the act was constitutional in its entirety.... 

"Alberta previously filed a constitutional challenge with the Alberta Court of Appeal, and was supported by the governments of Saskatchewan and Ontario, three First Nations and the Indian Resource Council. Various environmental and legal groups, as well as other First Nations, supported Ottawa. In a 4-1 decision, the court called the law an 'existential threat' when it came to Canada's Constitution. The federal government appealed that non-binding opinion, and the Supreme Court held hearings on the act in March."

"Today's decision was keenly awaited by legal experts, who recognized its importance in providing clarity to an area of law that has long been under debate. Wright, the associate professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary, said it wasn't the outcome most of those who follow this area of law expected. 'This really does set the the legal landscape for federal impact assessment for decades to come,' said Wright, who was also an intervener on the case. 'What we now know is that there are significant constraints on what the federal government may or may not do with respect to legislating in relation to environmental assessment.'

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/supreme-court-richard-wagner-impact-assessment-act-1.6993720

Top court finds Ottawa's environmental impact assessment law unconstitutional | CBC News | October 13, 2023:

Ontario regulator drops case against sceptic MD

Ontario's College of Physicians and Surgeons has ended its quest to silence anti-lockdown pediatrician Kulvinder Kaur Gill.

Ontario regulatory body drops inquest into COVID-critical doctor | National Post | Michael Higgins: 

Oct 4, 2023 - "If the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) was to be believed, the tweets of Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill were ... unprofessional, irresponsible, critical of official messaging and potentially destructive to public health.... The college was unhappy that Gill believed government and public health responses to COVID were based more on politics than science. So it comes as a surprise that the college, which had been hellbent on bringing Gill to heel, has decided to end a planned disciplinary hearing against her. 

"Lisa Bildy, Gill’s lawyer, said in an email that the CPSO seemed to concede it had a bad case. 'It appears they finally recognized that Dr. Gill’s concerns about the harms of lockdowns and vaccine mandates were well-supported and could not reasonably be said to constitute "misinformation",' Bildy said.

"Gill’s case is another example of a regulatory body trying to exert control over the tweets, speech and language of a professional. The most high-profile occurrence is that of psychologist Jordan Peterson, who is fighting an order from the College of Psychologists of Ontario to undergo social media training, thereby regulating what he says on social media.

"'Regulatory bodies have become far too comfortable with exerting control over the expression and values of their members,' said Bildy. 'The (CPSO) is legislatively tasked with keeping patients safe from incompetent and unethical doctors and regulating the profession in the public interest. It is not there to give disgruntled people on Twitter a tool for "cancelling" people with whom they do not agree, nor to take up the mantle of enforcer for politicians who don’t want their policies challenged.'

"In 2020, Gill, a pediatrician with immunology training practising in the Greater Toronto Area, found herself the subject of complaints — from members of the public, not patients — to the CPSO. The Democracy Fund, a civil liberties organization assisting Gill, described her in 2022 as the subject of a 'malicious online campaign” that encouraged the public to file complaints about her. Five complaints were dismissed by a committee of the CPSO, but three resulted in 'cautions' being issued in 2021 against the doctor....

"Gill found herself in the crosshairs of the college again in 2022. This time, she was accused of advocating against masks and COVID vaccines, and for undermining trust in public health. In February 2023, the college pointed to the 'totality of Dr. Gill’s communications' as evidence that, 'Government and other institutions are engaging in tyranny, lying to the public and acting in unconstitutional and unscientific manner'.... A 15-day disciplinary hearing was scheduled for early 2024. However, in September, the CPSO told Gill’s lawyer that it was not proceeding with the hearing. The CPSO declined to comment on the case, citing confidentiality.

"Gill’s real crime, Bildy said, was refusing to go along with the 'groupthink.' She pointed out that the CPSO’s statement to the profession, back when Gill was being investigated, told doctors their comments could lead to public harm if they did not 'align with information coming from public health or government.'  'This was an astonishing edict,' Bildy told me. 'Public health is fundamentally a political office and should not be beyond reproach. Physicians are bound by an ethical and moral duty to do no harm, and it is sometimes essential and in the public interest to question public health decisions and government policies. Consensus can be dangerous, particularly when groupthink coalesces around the wrong decision....

"'If we don’t push back, an enforced consensus on the social and scientific issues of our time will steamroll over us. If that happens, especially on a global, technocratic scale, the Enlightenment era with its ideals of rationalism, democracy, individualism, the scientific method, fundamental freedoms and the like — a relative blip on the historical time scale — may be gone forever.'”

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ontario-regulator-walks-back-inquisition-against-covid-critical-doctor

“the basic concept of public health is to look at all harms” Dr Kulvinder Kaur Gill | Sceptic Nurse | February 21, 2021: 

UK PM proposes younger-generation tobacco ban

Taking an idea from New Zealand's progressive government, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has proposed a lifetime ban on purchasing tobacco products for those born after 2008.   

Rishi Sunak is following in Jacinda Ardern’s footsteps | The Telegraph | Annabel Denham: 

October 4, 2023 - "It should alarm us that the Prime Minister thought long and hard about smoking prohibition. It would be more reassuring to learn that this was another knee-jerk idea spouted out of the Conservative government’s random policy generator as its remaining days in power dwindle.... Had Number 10 given any deep thought to a progressive cigarette and tobacco ban – which will see the age at which people can buy these products rise by one year every year so that, eventually, no one can purchase them – they would perhaps have realised how ill-conceived, illiberal, infantilising and illogical it is.

"That the idea has its origins in New Zealand – the country that locked itself down for nearly the longest time and refused to let its citizens come home, and requires Māori theory of creation to be taught in science lessons – should have raised a red flag. Sunak, who recently re-instilled hope that he could be the true heir to Margaret Thatcher and cauterise the wound seared by 2022’s mini-Budget, has now aligned himself with Jacinda Ardern. He may be putting this to a free vote, but history will remember who put this legislation on the cards.

"Much as Akshata Murty may have endeared and persuaded delegates in Manchester of her husband’s commitment to Conservative values, there isn’t a shred of Conservatism in this policy. No personal autonomy; the idea that people will make trade-offs – and sometimes choose the unhealthy option, such is the wonder of the human condition. Though more often than not nowadays, when it comes to tobacco, they don’t: the proportion of smokers has fallen significantly in recent decades: from half of adults in the early 1970s to just 14 per cent now. 

"There was seemingly no consideration of the unintended consequences – the black market that this policy will buttress and the corresponding reduction in tax revenues. And, as usual, the nannying measure is being cloaked in the language of public health and justified on the grounds that it will help protect our socialist, creaking healthcare system. 

"Here are the facts, for MPs who may soon have to decide whether to wave through this awful policy. Smokers don’t cost the NHS money, they save it. A 2017 study from the Institute of Economic Affairs estimated a net saving of £14.7 billion per annum at the rates of consumption at the time, with the costs smokers incurred significantly outweighed by the sum of tobacco duty paid and the old-age expenditures avoided due to premature mortality. 

"This policy would limit consumer choice and create a two-tier society, one in which 48 year old John could purchase cigarettes while Jane, his 47 year old wife, would need to procure them in the underground economy. Shopkeepers would be required to decide on the spot whether a customer might have been born in 2004 or 2005. 

"Perhaps most importantly, prohibition does not work. As the examples of South Africa, India and others have shown, it puts smokers or drinkers at greater risk. It hands money to black marketeers at the expense of tax paying businesses: the South African government lost over 1.7 billion Rand (£77 million) in sin-tax revenue in April 2020 after tightening restrictions that March. In the 1920s, prohibition caused a crime wave across America.

"What is the enduring appeal of these paternalistic, petty regulations? They allow politicians to be seen to do something without spending money. As budgetary constraints have tightened while welfare, pensions and NHS spending have ballooned, elected representatives have pulled this lever with ever greater enthusiasm. But they do come at a cost. To businesses, consumers, workers in the form of lower wages. And pretty soon they’ll cost the Tories."

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/04/rishi-sunak-smoking-ban-nanny-state-jacinda-ardern/

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Unveils Plan To Ban Tobacco Among Youth | 10 News First | October 5, 2023:

CUPE under fire for pro-Hamas statements

Canadian Union of Public Employees criticized for pro-Hamas statements after last weekend's terrorist attack on Israel.

CUPE official 'sickened' by Ontario president's posts after attack on Israel | Toronto Sun | Joe Warmington:

October 10, 2023 - "Most people thought it was just a rogue Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local that didn’t speak for the whole 700,000-member union. Wrong.... Just moments after Israeli children had been slaughtered, people were stunned by CUPE, Local 3906’s public support for those behind the genocide. 'Palestine is rising, long live the resistance,' they callously posted on X.... 

"It was followed by CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn liking that post and later going to social media with a 'From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free' meme. He also tweeted about being 'thankful' for 'resistance.' Tweeted Hahn: 'As we all think about reasons to be thankful this #thanksgiving2023, I know I’m thankful for the power of workers, the power of resistance around the globe. Because #Resistance is fruitful and no matter what some might say, #Resistance brings progress, and for that, I’m thankful'....

"Jewish groups say any support for these actions is support for Hamas. Premier Doug Ford also expressed his outrage. 'The comments by the president of CUPE Ontario glorifying and celebrating the rape, abduction and murder of innocent Israeli people are disturbing, and I denounce them wholeheartedly,' said Ford Tuesday.... Hahn has also upset many CUPE members. 'I have never been so sickened as I am today by the comments of fellow union officers,” said CUPE 416 Paramedic Services Unit chair Mike Merriman.' He is calling for Hahn to resign.... 

"While the Local 3906 pulled its tweet and Hamilton’s McMaster University, where the union represents 3,000 workers, distanced itself from the sentiment, Hahn and CUPE National have doubled down. Instead of calling out the terrorists and their evil carnage, the union that represents health care, emergency services, education, early learning and child care, municipalities, social services, libraries, utilities, transportation and airlines across Canada are pushing [a] neutrality approach, but also admitting they actually back the Palestinian side....

"'CUPE grieves the loss of life brought by the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine,' said a release sent to the Toronto Sun in response to a request for comment from CUPE National President Mark Hancock. 'We are horrified by the Hamas attack on Israel and the retribution by the state of Israel on the people of Palestine and condemn all acts of violence against innocent civilians'....

"CUPE blames Israel. 'CUPE has long recognized the need for the Israeli government to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories and abide by UN resolutions and international law,' said the release. 'The full siege that has now been declared on Gaza by Israel will worsen conditions for residents who are already struggling and deny the population of food, water, electricity and other necessities for life. It will not hasten a peaceful resolve.'

"CUPE wants Trudeau to push back on Israel’s defence plans. 'We urge the government of Canada to call for a ceasefire, for the enforcement of international law and to work toward a peaceful resolution that upholds the rights to life and freedom of Palestinians and Israelis'....

"Merriman said Hahn and Local 3906’s comments 'have no place in the Canadian labour movement' and are not representative of the 'decent, hardworking and humanitarian CUPE members.' But they are the views of some within the union brass."

Read more: https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-cupe-official-sickened-by-ontario-presidents-posts-after-attack-on-israel

RFK Jr. announces Independent run for POTUS

RFK Jr. Dumps Democrats, Libertarian Party Blasts RFK Jr.'s Stance on Israel | Reason | Robby Soave: 

October 9, 2023 - "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president as an independent, he announced on Monday. 'I'm here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States,' Kennedy told supporters at a rally in Philadelphia. 'I'm here to join you in making a new Declaration of Independence for our entire nation.' Kennedy had previously challenged President Joe Biden from within the Democratic Party; his exit means that Marianne Williamson is now Biden's sole primary Democratic contender.

"RFK Jr.'s declaration is notable for another reason: It ends speculation that he might seek the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination. Kennedy is not a libertarian and historically has held positions on a variety of issues that are fairly anathema to libertarianism, including his views on environmental regulation, affirmative action, and until recently, gun control. But he is an outspoken opponent of COVID-19 mandates — as well as the COVID-19 vaccines — and a critic of American foreign policy with respect to the Ukraine-Russia war.

"These last two stances have endeared him to some in the Libertarian Party (L.P.), who hoped that he was moving in a libertarian direction on a variety of issues. RFK Jr. attended both PorcFest and FreedomFest, two yearly libertarian festivals, and seemed to be sincerely courting independent voters of both populist and libertarian bents. He also fielded questions from Reason and others about his evolving views....

"Kennedy's announcement of an independent run was received cordially by the L.P.; his declaration of support for unlimited aid to Israel, not so much. Following the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians over the weekend, RFK Jr. said the U.S. should provide Israel with 'whatever it needs to defend itself.' This political position was rightly criticized by McArdle and the L.P. as profoundly un-libertarian: U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to pay for the defenses of other countries.

"Unfortunately, RFK Jr. is hardly the only political figure to make such a declaration; both Democratic and Republican leaders have committed to providing military aid to Israel, and the Pentagon is already deploying warships to the area.

"Many Americans are understandably moved by images and videos of appalling violence being committed against Israeli civilians. But there is little reason to think that providing even more money and weapons to the government of Israel will help create peaceful living conditions for either the Israelis or the Palestinians. We can have compassion for people who are suffering around the world, but we must also have humility about U.S. foreign policy and the likely results of interventionism. If RFK Jr. hasn't quite learned that yet — despite some encouraging signs — the Libertarian Party probably isn't the right home for him at present.

Read more: https://reason.com/2023/10/09/rfk-jr-president-independent-libertarian-campaign-israel/

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Declares Independent Candidacy | C-SPAN | October 9, 2023: