Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 28, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A13 Premature call I attended the vigil at the legislature to show my support for missing and murdered women and to express my sadness and frustration at the volume of unsolved cases. I agree completely, however, with the June 27 editorial, No time for rash judgment, that it is premature to malign the police. The missing and murdered women were almost certainly targeted because they were socially marginalized and vulnerable. But there is no evidence to suggest to me that the police are continuing this abuse. BROOKE PENNER Winnipeg �� Should Shawn Lamb be found guilty, judges who repeatedly let him off without deterrent and fitting sentences should be charged with being accessories to murder. Please publish his complete criminal record, including sentences and judges' names. WILLIAM MCCOWAN Winnipeg �� The Manitoba chiefs are wanting something done about the number of missing aboriginal women. What they first need to do is have their own inquiry ( at their own expense) and establish for themselves why this is happening. If it is happening mainly to aboriginals, and in this case if the culprit is an aboriginal, then it is something they need to address on their own. It is easy to always blame someone else and ask others to solve your problems, but the first step is to try to help yourselves. DAVID N. YASKIW Winnipeg �� I am bewildered as to why the aboriginal chiefs want an inquiry into the alarming number of aboriginal women who are missing or who were murdered, and their whereabouts or why their assailants have not been arrested. Shouldn't the provincial and federal governments and the various law enforcement agencies be asking for an inquiry into how the chiefs, who are the leaders of their people and their culture, are allowing this to continue to happen, and not the other way around? AL SANSREGRET Winnipeg Judicial frustrations Re: Appeal for role in inquiry an insult to true victim ( June 26). Lindor Reynolds suggests that Justice Lori Douglas's only mistake was to trust her husband. How on earth does she know that? We have no idea of the level of complicity between Douglas and her husband. It has taken two years for the Douglas defence to come up with the idea that she is the victim. Should we have not heard about this from the start? I have listened with frustration over the years with our judiciary convicting people with the proclamation " they should have known better." I have observed with great frustration as our judges grant parole or pardons, only to have criminals go out and reoffend, even in bizarre cases handing out bouquets of flowers instead of sound legal decisions. It is about time that the mirror is being held up in front of their faces and they be judged with the same set of rules that they use. In short, in the words of our judiciary, Douglas should have known better. It is now time to be accountable. GARY HOOK Winnipeg �� There are no victims in this story; all are adults doing things they shouldn't have been doing. Alex Chapman went back to the trough after extorting $ 25,000 dollars from Jack King and Lori Douglas. He's no victim. King betrays his wife and his profession, then the Law Society of Manitoba allows him to practice law here like nothing happened. He's no victim. Douglas allowed herself to be photographed naked in positions that go far beyond a simple pose. This is something a teenager would do and regret for the rest of her life, but Douglas is no teenager; she was a lawyer and now a judge. She's no victim. KIM SIGURDSON Winnipeg Make every effort Re: Mall rescue called off, then ordered back on ( June 26). The person who was or is alive and trapped in the rubble was trying to communicate to outside fellow human beings that he/ she needs help. In mine rescue we called this method " Tommy knocker," and every effort to free this person should be used. A state of emergency was declared and yet there was no sign of the Canadian military. When you are working on the surface ( as opposed to underground), you have several entrances and there's no limit to the machinery that could be called in, all you have to do is be creative. ORVILLE BECKING Snow Lake Cause of the crisis Re: Moody's finds RBC wanting ( Editorials, June 26). Central banks like the Bank of Canada, the U. S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are at the root of the worldwide monetary crisis. Central banks have been at the root of every boom and bust cycle since their inception in the early 1900s. All the money the central banks created from thin air to rescue retail banks is causing the inflation that consumers face today. More money chasing the same goods bids up prices. But creating money from thin air does not produce wealth; it debases the value of all the currency that previously existed. It's the same old melt- lead- into- gold trick governments of the past tried when they needed money to spend on whatever boondoggles. CHRIS BUORS Winnipeg Doing a disservice The June 22 headline Highly connected Tory lawyer represents Magnotta seems to suggest that lawyer Luc Leclair being a Conservative supporter is somehow significant in a case that is already approaching sensationalism. No matter which political party's name in inserted, the story actually might do a disservice to people who become involved in politics. I support any member of the legal profession who in turn supports any political candidate, or for that matter, any profession - teachers, doctors, tradespeople. Yes, it is ironic that a connected Tory is the defence of a case involving body parts mailed to Conservative headquarters, but nothing more - and perhaps a little less ironic that I'd say so. DENNIS TROCHIM Manitoba Liberal Party Hooray for Brown Re: Struggling QBs should be yanked soone r ( June 26). Hooray, Doug Brown, for saying what fans have been pleading for from the stands and from their sofas - pull an underperforming quarterback sooner rather than later. Don't wait for the quarter or the half. " Working through" a bad patch is good advice for life, not for a football game. Why do we have backup quarterbacks? Just for an injured starter? Let the rattled QB cool off, survey the action from the sidelines and regroup. SHEILA WELBERGEN Winnipeg HAVE YOUR SAY: The Free Press welcomes letters from readers. Include the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited. Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, R2X 3B6. Fax 697- 7412. Email letters@ freepress. mb. ca Letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg Free Press or its staff. �� LETTER OF THE DAY Ikea recently announced that it would begin hiring for its highly anticipated retail store, and other announcements have been made regarding Target and Victoria's Secret. Winnipeggers have a thing for American shopping and American retailers; the excitement that builds up in this city surrounding them is paramount. I cannot help but notice, however, that these new stores are consistently being located in areas other than the North End. Having worked for many years in the retail sector in Garden City, I know first- hand just how bleak the options for consumers are. Both Garden City and Northgate Shopping Centres are in serious need of some assistance in terms of getting new and exciting stores that people actually want to shop at. More needs to be invested into the North End. There is a lot of pride in this end of town, and it definitely isn't as bad as many assume. However, there is certainly something missing from this neighbourhood and this problem desperately needs a solution. TALI SITSCHKAR Winnipeg Winnipeg Free Press Thursday, June 28, 2012 A 13 POLL �� TODAY'S QUESTION What's the best way to beat the heat? �� Vote online at winnipegfreepress. com �� PREVIOUS QUESTION How many games do you think the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will win this season? TOTAL RESPONSES 4,205 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 VOL 140 NO 225 2012 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published seven days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 697- 7000 BOB COX / Publisher MARGO GOODHAND / Editor JULIE CARL / Deputy Editor An Ikea store is under construction on Kenaston Boulevard. Bleak shopping options S OON after Barack Obama was elected president, he paid a visit to Canada. He received such a warm welcome from Canadians that he joked that he might move here if things took a turn for the worse in the U. S. Polls at the time showed that if Obama were running for prime minister, he would win in a landslide. His Republican opponent would have been reduced to a fringe candidate. Our enthusiasm for Obama has no doubt been tempered over the years of his presidency. We have learned, for example, that he does not walk on water. Still, we'd venture to guess that if it were up to us, he would easily beat Mitt Romney. Like many love affairs, though, this one may be based more in the heart than in the head. And an article in a leading U. S. foreign policy journal may be just the slap we need to get our heads out of the clouds. The online edition of Foreign Affairs, published by the Council on Foreign Affairs, blames Obama for a host of irritants in Canada's relations with the United States, among them: . Delay of the Keystone XL pipeline; . Protectionist Buy American provisions; . Disrespect for Canadia's military contributions in Libya and Afghanistan; . Demanding concessions to join the Trans- Pacific Partnership; . Making Canada pay for a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor; . Tepid support for a Canadian seat on the UN Security Council. It's a far cry from the days when Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and President Ronald Reagan got together to sing When Irish Eyes are Smiling . Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper both have musical talents, but it's hard to imagine them singing in harmony. When Harper did his rendition of With a Little Help from My Friends , Obama was nowhere to be found. Even so, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Democrats have traditionally been more protectionist when it comes to the economy, and can be expected to put the interests of their own country first. This might be something to admire from afar as an ideal, but as a reality it hurts. It especially hurts because our government has gone out of its way to try to improve relations with the U. S. Despite having no major interests in Libya or Afghanistan, we spent billions of dollars and lost more than 150 lives in those conflicts. If Romney were to be voted into the White House, would he show more gratitude? Would relations improve? In the end it doesn't really matter. We insist on loving Obama with our hearts. Loving Obama with our hearts instead of our heads The Kamloops Daily News OTHER OPINION I MMIGRATION Minister Jason Kenney has introduced a proposed new law that will make it easier for the government to remove certain non- Canadian criminals from Canada. While some of the other parts in this proposed law may need to be changed, the part that eliminates the ability of certain convicted criminals to appeal their removal from Canada is fair. Under the current law, a Canadian permanent resident who is convicted of a crime and is sentenced to less than two years of prison can appeal an order removing him or her from Canada. This appeal is made to the Immigration Appeal Division where the convicted criminal can argue why he or she should be given a second chance to remain in Canada. Under the proposed new law, a Canadian permanent resident who is convicted of certain crimes would only be able to appeal if found guilty of a crime for which the sentence was less than six months of prison. It is important to note we are not talking about removing non- citizens who have been merely charged or accused of a crime. The only people that will be removed without appeal are permanent residents convicted of a crime and sentenced to six or more months of prison. These individuals are no longer presumed innocent. They were found guilty after having the right to hire a lawyer and to defend themselves in court. It is only after going through this process that these individuals were convicted and sentenced. Some might argue that eliminating the immigration right of appeal for certain permanent residents is unfair. It is true that there have been cases of long- term permanent residents being removed from Canada without appeals. In some of these cases, the permanent resident has lived here for decades and has family here. The fact is, however, that these individuals would not have been removed from Canada if they did not commit a crime so serious they were given jail sentences of six months or more. No one is suggesting permanent residents convicted of minor crimes not be given an immigration appeal. This proposed law will not take away appeal rights for individuals who were only fined, put on probation, sentenced to shorter prison terms, or given alternative sentences to prison. These individuals will continue to be able to appeal any removal order from Canada that is given to them. Some will also argue these changes are unfair because the convicted criminal will not be able to plead their personal immigration circumstances in an appeal. This argument does not hold much water since the Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled last year that judges must look at a convicted criminal's personal immigration circumstances before handing down a sentence. When sentencing convicted criminals, judges already take into account a number of factors including whether the individual has pled guilty, has shown remorse, has family and community support, is employed, and, of course, has committed previous crimes. Since judges must take into account a criminal's personal immigration circumstances, the convicted criminal should have more than ample protection of his or her rights. Where the proposed legislation is more troubling is with some of the other suggested provisions. One example is the proposal that a non- Canadian who makes a " misrepresentation" to Canadian immigration be barred from Canada for five years - an increase from the existing two- year bar. The problem with the increase is that the law of misrepresentation makes non- Canadians responsible for inadvertent misrepresentations and misrepresentations made by others without their knowledge. For instance, if a non- Canadian's representative sent in a fake document to immigration authorities without the non- Canadian's knowledge, the non- Canadian could be barred from Canada for five years. If the proposed law only bars non- Canadians for misrepresentations that they know about, this change in law would be much fairer. However, to penalize a non- Canadian for what other people may have done is not fair. While certain improvements will be necessary to this proposed law, the change with respect to limiting immigration appeal rights for certain convicted criminals is fair. R. Reis Pagtakhan is an immigration lawyer with Aikins Law in Winnipeg. Removing non- Canadian criminals fair policy R. REIS PAGTAKHAN 0- 4 21% ( 894 votes) 5- 8 35% ( 1477 votes) 9- 12 32% ( 1358 votes) 13 or more 11% ( 476 votes) A_ 13_ Jun- 28- 12_ FP_ 01. indd A13 6/ 27/ 12 8: 15: 58 PM ;