Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 24, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba A9 Winnipeg free press Freedom of Trade thursday August 24, 2006 Liberty of religion comment editor Equality of civil rights Gerald flood 697-7269 editorials thank you is. Hor ski s Andra Hor ski believed her rights were trampled when Winnipeg police detained her and her Young son in the Back of a Cruiser for More than two hours in March 2003. Is. Hor ski intended to get the Winnipeg police service to recognize it owed the two of them an explanation Why they were held and a Chance to Call a lawyer. A provincial court judge has agreed with the win nip Egger. Is. Hor ski has done All citizens a ser vice in proving that Point. Early that morning is. Hor ski her son and her husband were ordered out of their North end Home by police who surrounded the House and had their weapons raised. Police had been told by an informant that guns were concealed in is. Hor ski a House and another House on Lipton Street. He was right about the second House and wrong about is. Hor ski a House. During the search the Mother and son were held in one car and the father Walter cerros in another. Or. Cerros named in the search warrant As a suspect was told Why he was being held and that he could Contact a lawyer. Is. Hor ski and her nine year old son were not advised of the rights under the charter of rights and freedoms. Police argued before a Law enforcement review Agency hearing that they were not technically detaining is. Hor ski and the boy As they were not suspects but rather that they were being held in the Cruiser for safety reasons. As such they said they did to think they owed them the same rights As her husband. Provincial judge Marva Smith described that for the Hogwash it was noting that any person stopped and held logically would believe they were under control of police. Indeed the supreme court of Canada established that definition of detention in Law More than 20 years ago. Police have the onus to ensure any person detained under suspicion or not is informed of their charter rights and has a Chance to Contact a lawyer to advise them. The judge found that the police had abused their author Ity and that their ignorance of the obligation did not excuse the abuse. Additionally she said the police should have offered is. Hor ski and her son some thing to drink or eat and the use of a bathroom. Judge Smith noted that the police seemed to think charter rights Are protected Only for those suspected of criminal activity. This is indeed troubling. Police come into Contact with people ? complainants suspects and innocent bystanders ? throughout their work Day whether on patrol investigating crime or keeping order at Public events. The search of is. Hor ski a House was organized by Veteran officers who should know their obligations to respect individual rights that they cannot interfere with a persons Liberty except As Law provides. Judge Smith wisely advised chief Jack Swatski to ensure his officers Are Well aware of their duties and the limitations to their Powers. Ripples of terror corp. David Braun this week became the 27th Canadian Serviceman to be killed in Afghanistan since 2002. Corp. Braun who had Only recently arrived in the country with the Princess Patricia slight infantry was killed and three others were wounded when a suicide bomber drove a White Corolla into a resupply Convoy just outside of Camp Nathan the base for Canadas provincial reconstruction team. Corp. Braun died with honour in the service of his country and in the service of afghans. His death will be mourned by his family by his comrades by his friends at Shilo where he was based and by All canadians. It should serve too As a reminder of some hard lessons being Learned in Afghanistan. One is that resupply should be done by helicopter something Canada cannot do because the previous Liberal government neglected the needs of the armed forces for too Long with the result that they Lack the heavy lift helicopters that their allies use. Second and More important suicide bombers Are terrorists with no regard for the lives of others and their tactics Are despicable. The most common cars on the roads of Afghanistan Are White Cor Rolas. By choosing such a vehicle the bomber May ensure himself anonymity but he also makes suspect tens of thousands of other perfectly innocent people in similar vehicles. In this instance the suicide bomber who killed corp. Braun also killed a bystander who happened to be in the Street. But the Ripples of the terror did not Stop there. After the explosion Canadian and afghan soldiers formed a defensive perimeter around an armoured vehicle set ablaze by the blast. The heat caused ammunition inside to explode so that it was imperative that civilians be kept away. Some time later two youths drove a motorcycle into the area and through the cordon. When repeated warnings to Stop went unheeded a Canadian Soldier fired at them. A single Bullet struck both youths who were airlifted to Hospital where a 10-year-old died and a 17-year-old is being treated. The incident is being investigated but it appears that what happened is that the Soldier not knowing if this was an innocent mistake or a terrorist attack dressed up like a civilian Joyride apprehended that he had to defend himself and his colleagues. That the Taliban deliberately confuse the mundane with the murderous in heinous. A Canadian shot and killed an afghan boy but it is the Taliban who Are to blame for every death that occurred near Camp Nathan on tuesday have your say the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697-7412. Email it boggles the mind re schools get religious warning aug. 23. How the unanimous agreement of 100 per cent of parents to provide their children with an Opportunity of religious expression constitutes a poisoned environment boggles the mind. Heather Skublics Lampman Winnipeg Driver deserved ticket re careful on . Highways aug. 22. Congratulations to the Highway patrolman from North Dakota for doing his Job. Shame on letter writer Jean Green for not moving Over to the other Lane. What would have happened if he had to step into the Lane you were travelling in and you hit him that is Why there is a ticket doing what you did. Leta r. Lee Winnipeg 9/11 coverage praised re was Bush Engineer of 9/11 onslaught aug. 21. I want to thank the free press for being just about the Only major medium in Winnipeg to cover the 9/11 forum of last sunday. After years of seeing the hypothesis of . Government complicity in the terrorist attacks being dismissed out of hand As a conspiracy theory i really had Low expectations that your paper would take the time to listen to the speakers and speak with Mem Bers of the audience. Imagine my Surprise when i saw your paper giving this Issue respectful and fair treatment the next Day. Without taking a Strong position one Way or the other you brought attention to key inconsistencies not widely known to the general Public. This is the kind of journalism that the general citizenry depends upon to make informed decisions about Public policy. You missed out however on one of Barrie Zwicker a key themes. The Point for him and Many in this ?9/11 truth movement is that the events of that horrible Day Are the Linch pin in the so called War on terrorism. The wars on Afghanistan and Iraq the bulking up of military spending new anti terrorism legislation torture racial profiling etc., All Fol Low from the idea that the . Was caught off guard by a mortal outside enemy. Ameri Cas new War is assaulting a lot of people and if there is a possibility it was an inside Job then that possibility must be explored and the facts examined for the Sake of present and future victims of . And coalition aggression. Michael a. Welch Winnipeg Hezbollah Are terrorists re take Hezbollah off terror list maps aug. 21. It is essential that one acknowledges that an organization that sponsors terrorist activities such As kidnappings car bombings hijackings and homicides is ultimately a terrorist group regardless of claims to a Sepa rate political there can be no ambiguity of that fact. Letter of the Day not a poisoned environment re schools get religion warning aug. 23. ? a poisoned environment Janet Bald win this atmosphere and the Christian values has helped create mennonite Cen trial committee ? one of the most respected National and International no Canadian government should begin to consider removing Hezbollah from the list of banned terrorist organizations until they fully renounce their terrorist ways. That process begins by changing their stated goal from one of the genocide of the jewish peo ple and the destruction of the state of Israel to one of working towards peace. Until the time that Hezbollah in the Well known words of former israeli prime minis Ter Golda Meir learn to love their children More than they hate us they should and must remain on the list of banned terrorist organizations. Anita Neville my Winnipeg South Centre first nations Arent nations re Sovereign first nations immune from smoking Law aug. 21. Colleen Simard offers a poor argument Why the provinces non smokers health Protection act should to be enforced on aboriginal land. Her position is that aboriginal people Are exempt from provincial Law because As nations under International Law they Arent bound by the rules imposed by other states. Common International practice holds that a state must pass four criteria to be considered a nation it must contain a group of people be controlled by an effective government have undisputed control Over a definable land mass and be recognized As other nations As the Only government in that land mass. Canadas aboriginal people do meet the first criteria however the last three criteria Are critical and this is where is. Simard a argument Breaks Down. She says Canada would to impose our Laws on Japan or Mexico. While this is True no nation in the world recognizes aboriginal sovereignty. Japan sends diplomatic representatives to Ottawa to facilitate relations with Canada and does to Send representatives to facilitate relations with the Cree Mohawk or Black foot nations. Mexico operates an effective government for its people and in to reliant on Cash transfers from other nations to operate their government. Canadas aboriginal peo humanitarian organizations mennonite disaster service ? which at a moments notice mobilizes volunteers to help people devastated by natural disasters build a Village ? founded in Altona a similar atmosphere habitat for humanity Mani Toba ? first started in Winkler communities like Steinbach and Winkler confirmed As a few of the most charitable in Canada and the Canadian food grains Bank. Some communities in Manitoba put great Effort into teaching values and principles that promote education the arts culture science and Community service. Do these things happen by Accident or Are they the result of the poisoned environment this atmosphere and the peo ple it influences Are not created in a one hour Church service per week. The Manitoba human rights commission should be careful about the atmosphere it wants and think about what it could destroy in the process. John t. Wiens Winkler ple May be distinct but they do not meet an International definition to be considered nation and so Canadian and provincial Laws apply. Ken Kohut Winnipeg ministers logic flawed re native blockades and threats Arent the solution aug. 18. In responding to the column posted by minister of Indian affairs Jim Prentice i wish to address his flawed logic in dealing with first nations treaty rights issues. Or. Prentice Speaks from the position of being a guardian of All the lands and resources that Are in Canada and thus having the responsibility to dispense these As Canada sees fit to the aboriginal people within Canada. These land claims Are not Indian land claims to Canadian lands. They Are in fact claims that Canada has made on Indian lands and resources that rightfully still belong to first nations people. I am sure if the agree ment was made that no More lumber fish minerals diamonds and other resources would be harvested until these disputes were finalized we would see the Canadian treaty process Speed up with the same Speed it took to offer restitution to the caledonian Busi Ness owners. Canada As a tenant tries to dictate the rules of the Access to resources of the land lord first nations people much the same Way some tenants try to dictate to the land lord. Sorry but things Are not done that Way. I do not propose violence As a Means of settling these issues but i do propose that our first nations leaders begin to take the responsibility to dictate terms of dealing with Canadas land claims so that both our groups can finally establish relationships with each other that do allow equal Opportunity shared resources and peaceful co exis tence. Sak Oieta Widrick Selkirk Winnipeg free press. Today a question previous question should Public schools be allowed to con duct religious exercises should an accused who is aboriginal be entitled to an All native jury yes 20% / no 79% / undecided 1% / total 699 vote online at poll ? 2006 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian Andrew s. Ritchie / publisher newspapers limited partnership Bob Cox / editor published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Patrick Flynn / Deputy editor Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697-7000 ;