The people who brought Ann Coulter and Iranium to Canada – the Free Thinking Film Society and the International Free Press Society – now bring Caledonia to Ottawa…

- Click image for ticket details - 

Caledonia: No More Nightmares
March 22, 2011
Library & Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0N4

TICKET INFO
Admission: $20 (includes HST), $10.00 for students/ seniors
Compact Music, 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa
Compact Music, 190 Bank Street, Ottawa
Ottawa Festivals, 47 William Street, Ottawa

Tickets will also be available at the door.
Tickets are also available on line.

References

• HelplessByBlatchford project: post-Helpless Reading List
• Free Thinking Film Society event: Caledonia: No More Nightmares
• IFPS-Canada event: Caledonia: No More Nightmares
• VoiceofCanada, Jan 21/11: Free Thinking Film Society: Iranium WILL be shown Feb 6th thanks to Heritage Minister James Moore
• IFPS-Canada event: Ann Coulter in Canada

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas, info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

In reply to a joint request by CANACE and the Caledonia Victims Project, the Canadian Civil Liberties (CCLA) has, once again, refused to even consider meeting to discuss the civil rights abuses in Caledonia, and has made it clear it has no intention of addressing the issue at all.

Here are our most recent communications with the CCLA, followed by a complete list of references of our unsuccessful attempts to persuade the CCLA to assist Caledonia’s victims…

1. CANACE/CVP LETTER TO CCLA, Mar 01/11 (via email & fax) [PDF]

March 01, 2011 BY FAX & EMAIL

Canadian Civil Liberties Association
506-360 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M5S 1X1
t: 416.363.0321 f: 416.861.1291
mail@ccla.org

Dear CCLA:

Beginning in early 2007 I contacted your office on a number of occasions seeking your assistance with the civil rights abuses in Caledonia associated with racial policing practices of the OPP, but you were, unfortunately, unable to assist us at that time.

As you undoubtedly know, award-winning author Christie Blatchford’s 2010 book, Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, And How The Law Failed All of Us, has completely vindicated allegations that the Ontario Provincial Police were following orders not to enforce the rule of law in Caledonia and were, indeed, conducting policing by race to the utter detriment of non-native citizens with no lawful authority.

You may not be aware, however, that a significant amount of the evidence and background for the book was provided by us, and that Mr. McHale and his wife received an acknowledgement in the book for their assistance to the author.

Blatchford’s February 28, 2011 article in Globe, ‘For sheer abuse of state power nothing touches Caledonia,’ [LINK] opens with some frank criticism of the CCLA’s deafening silence on Caledonia’s police abuses:

How fitting that the report of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association on the policing of the G20 should be released on the fifth anniversary of the native occupation in Caledonia, Ont.

The same organization now screaming for a full-scale public inquiry into alleged abuses – particularly, the troubling breach-of-the-peace arrest authority used over that June weekend – was and continues to be absolutely silent about similar and worse abuses that occurred in the small town just south of Hamilton, just a few klicks from the Six Nations reserve.

We have worked alone, on a full time volunteer basis, with no financial or public support from NGOs for nearly 5 years – exposing and opposing the terrible race-based policing that caused so much misery in Caledonia, and we would be grateful for your interest now that you have additional resources available of the type you were able to mobilize for the G20, a very worthwhile endeavour indeed.

Last week, the International Free Press Society and the Free Thinking Film Society announced they are co-sponsoring an Ottawa presentation at the Library & National Archives for us entitled, Caledonia: No More Nightmares. The final segment of our presentation will be the public release of our legislative recommendations for what we call ‘The Caledonia Act.’ We have already supplied these to two political parties at their invitation, and would be pleased to discuss any ideas and assistance you might have with respect to improving and implementing them. [...]

Read the rest of this article and see the complete history of attempts to interest the CCLA in Caledonia:

• Caledonia Victims Project, March 08/11: Canadian Civil Liberties Association closes door on Caledonia civil rights abuses

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas, info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

Randy Fleming poster (arrested for walking down Caledonia road with a Canadian flag)

UPDATED — Helpless author Christie Blatchford will be appearing on TVO’s The Agenda tonight at 8:00 PM to discuss Caledonia:

Revisiting Caledonia with Christie Blatchford: Is there a double-standard of justice for aboriginals and non-aboriginals in Ontario?

• TVO.org, Jan 13/11: The Interview: Christie Blatchford: Helpless in Caledonia

The segment will be approximately 30 minutes long. The other 30 minutes is devoted to an interview with former Toronto Police Chief Bill McCormack.

1. Video:

• TVO.org, The Agenda, Jan 13/11: Helpless in Caledonia [31:18; Note: does not include opening sequence of scenes of violence in Caledonia - see YouTube, Part 1 below]
• YouTube, Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV0FDjw3fO8
• YouTube, Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEokmATF6bQ
• YouTube, Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHU2sxMfejI
• see also: JeffParkinson.ca, Jan 14/11: Video: Christie Blatchford on The Agenda with Steve Paikin

2. Web chat comments & court docs: I was able to comment and post links to supporting court docs throughout the show to rebut the myth propagated by some viewers/posters that Six Nations has a valid land claim to the Haldimand Tract. Also, I was allowed to post a link to our ‘post-Helpless Reading List’ page on the HelplessByBlatchford.ca site. My comments are reprinted below; you can read all comments at this link:

• The Agenda blog, Mike Miner, Jan 13/10: Livechat and video stream of Bill McCormack: Caledonia, and the Bottom Line for the Blue Line [PDF - webchat comments only]

[Comment From VoiceofCanada VoiceofCanada : ] Double standard? Oh yes! Fantino & McGuinty justified it by calling it a ‘peacekeeping’ mission, and citing an Inquiry that DID NOT study the issue of native violence against innocent residents. When will media and Opposition confront the McGuinty gov’t on these policy frauds so true healing can begin? Mark Vandermaas, Caledonia Victims Project

[Comment From VoiceofCanada VoiceofCanada : ] Two separate Superior Court judges in 2 separate court injunctions in Hagersville and Cayuga related to illegal occupations have stated that the recognized reps of 6N have not made a claim for possession or return of the land and that any claim made would not succeed. Can send court docs to interested parties.

Mike Miner: If you have links to them, post them here.

[Comment From VoiceofCanadaVoiceofCanada: ] Hi Mike, docs for court injunctions re land claims: 1. http://caledoniavictimsproject.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/1536412-ontario-ltd-v-hccc-hdi-ruby-floyd-montour-hazel-hill-cayuga-occupation-may-june-2008/

[Comment From VoiceofCanada VoiceofCanada : ] Court doc #2 re Hagersville occupation: http://caledoniavictimsproject.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/john-voortman-associates-v-hccc-hmf-hagersville-occupation-april-2009/ (sorry, hitting Enter key by mistake)

[Comment From VoiceofCanadaVoiceofCanada: ] 1. We are not on native land…6N were refugees from the US. who were allowed, by the grace of Canada, to settle here. 2. Joan Holmes (who also testified at the Ipperwash Inquiry) prepared a detailed report on the history of the Haldimand Tract for the Superior Court judge hearing the Brantford injunction and she concluded 6N had no claims there. Judge ruled against native occupations. Read her report here: http://voiceofcanada.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/feb-02-09-holmes-report-re-brantford-injunction.pdf. Mark Vandermaas

[Comment From VoiceofCanadaVoiceofCanada: ] You can read the strongly worded Superior Court Brantford injunction against the lawlessness here: http://caledoniavictimsproject.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/101118-brantford-v-montour-hdi-reasons.pdf

[Comment From VoiceofCanadaVoiceofCanada: ] Mike, if you don’t mind posting this, we have compiled a ‘post-Helpless’ reading list for those who have read Christie’s book and wish to understand, in more depth, the vital policy issues that need to be addressed now that the stories of the victims has been told: http://helplessbyblatchford.wordpress.com/post-helpless-reading-list/ Mark Vandermaas Founder, Caledonia Victims Project Co-founder, HelplessByBlatchford project (not endorsed by Blatchford or publisher)

[Comment From VoiceofCanadaVoiceofCanada: ] It’s so sad that the not one of the 3 groups who victimized Caledonia – 6N, OPP, Ontario govt – chose to participate in this discussion about the innocent victims they created. This has been the pattern for 5 years.

3. Page comments: I was also able to post this comment on the same page, below the webchat feature:

We must expose ‘peacekeeping’ and ‘Ipperwash Inquiry’ policy frauds
“Double standard? Oh yes, and Fantino & McGuinty justified it via an (illegal) ‘peacekeeping’ mission and an Inquiry that DID NOT study the issue of native violence against innocent residents. When will media and Opposition confront the McGuinty gov’t on these policy frauds so true healing can begin? Mark Vandermaas, Founder Caledonia Victims Project”

UPDATES

• JeffParkinson.ca, Jan 14/11: Video: Christie Blatchford on The Agenda with Steve Paikin
• Gods of the Copybook Headings, Jan 15/11: Caledonia: Blatchford on The Agenda
• Western Standard, Jan 15/10: Caledonia: Blatchford on The Agenda (scroll down to embedded videos)

References

• TVO.org, The Agenda blog, Mike Miner, Jan 13/10: Livechat and video stream of Bill McCormack: Caledonia, and the Bottom Line for the Blue Line [PDF - webchat comments only]
• TVO.org, The Agenda, Jan 13/11: The Interview: Christie Blatchford: Helpless in Caledonia
• HelplessByBlatchford project: www.HelplessByBlatchford.ca
• Caledonia Victims Project: www.CaledoniaVictimsProject.ca

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca  

• HelplessByBlatchford, Dec 03/10: Blatchford set to speak at UofW next Tuesday, ‘students’ promise to disrupt

The Kitchener Record has a very good account of the evening which leaves me free to devote this piece to giving credit where it is due – to the University of Waterloo, not only for ultimately defending academic freedom and freedom of speech, but for its masterful public relations work. 

Before continuing, however, I feel compelled to share what many who have read Helpless and/or experienced the OPP’s race-based policing policies in Caledonia firsthand might regard as the quote of the evening (just one of many superb Blatchford-isms to which we were treated):

“The election of former OPP chief Julian Fantino – who she blames for abandoning the rule of law in Caledonia – to a federal seat in Vaughan “makes me want to slit my wrists,” she said.

• The Record, Dec 08/10: Security tight for Blatchford’s return to UW

DEFENDING FREE SPEECH:
Christie Blatchford and the University of Waterloo

Most observers agree that UW got caught flat-footed on Nov 12th by a small group of goons who should have been handcuffed and dragged out in order to preserve the precious academic freedom that is the lifeblood of an institution upon which policy makers rely for scholarly scrutiny of vital issues of local and national concern.  

Certainly, Waterloo’s image took quite a bruising in the eyes of bloggers, journalists and academics.  Dr. Frances Widdowson - the author of Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry who faced a vicious campaign of academic intimidation by occupation supporters after she invited Gary McHale and me to speak at the 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum at Mount Royal University [LINK, LINK] - wrote what may be the best editorial of the entire Blatchford incident:

[...] It is now becoming standard practice to make unsubstantiated accusations about racism, sexism, homophobia, white supremacy, etc. to silence disliked, and possibly true, opinions. Christie Blatchford is the latest target of such smear tactics, and this will almost certainly happen again.  Solidaritists watching the Blatchford affair will be emboldened by the University of Waterloo’s impotence; if these censors are not opposed, we will be effectively asking students to vet who is allowed to speak. 

[...] It is a cruel irony that the student movement, which used to fight for the right to express controversial opinions, is now shutting them down.  They are doing this because they have become religious, as opposed to scientific, in their outlook.  They believe that they know the truth, and, like a preacher at a pulpit, refuse to listen to the blasphemy of “the Devil”.  They have become “defenders of the faith”, and believe, like kindly inquisitors, that those holding views deemed harmful for society should be punished.

• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 22/10: Dr. Frances Widdowson on Blatchford, McHale, Vandermaas vs. academic intimidation

To those of us with years of experience with the OPP’s racialized policing policies in Caledonia, it appeared as though Waterloo was operating from the OPP’s ‘peacekeeping’ playbook whereby police power is used to the detriment of those exercising their rights instead of those threatening them. This appeasement or inaction in the face of unlawful behaviour, and the threat it poses to the rule of law is, of course, the very point of Blatchford’s Helpless.

The ‘When Things Go Wrong’ Barometer of Integrity

I believe that what organizations do when things run off into the ditch speaks more about their character and commitment to professed values than all their lofty mission statements, ’core values’ pronouncements and flowery news releases combined. One mistake properly handled can increase the pride of employees and the loyalty of current customers, and provide the organization with a competitive advantage when wooing new ones.

So, how did the University of Waterloo handle the national embarrassment that prevented one of Canada’s most respected journalists from speaking about Caledonia? 

1. President Feridun Hamdullahpur issued a strongly worded condemnation of the intimidation; re-affirmed the university’s commitment to free expression; offered a sincere apology to Christie Blatchford; and asked staff to plan for a new event free of intimidation:

“The university considers Friday’s events as an attack on its presence as a place where issues are explored, discussed and at times debated. The freedom to speak and to learn is fundamental to the institution. Waterloo’s ethical behaviour policy states: ‘The University is an autonomous community which exists to further the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and understanding through scholarship and teaching. The University aims to ensure an environment of tolerance and respect and believes that the right of individuals to advance their views openly must be upheld throughout the University.’ To ensure there is no doubt of the university’s convictions, Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur apologized to Ms. Blatchford, on behalf of the university community, for Friday night’s disruption. He has asked the community to begin planning for a safe, open and respectful dialogue featuring Ms. Blatchford and her book.”

• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 17/10: University of Waterloo apologizes to Christie Blatchford: “freedom to speak and to learn is fundamental”

2. From the beginning Assistant Director of Media Relations Michael Strickland realized that we (Gary McHale and I) had an indirect - but important – stake in the issue, and a legitimate concern about the intimidation and accusations of racism directed at yet another person – this time an award-winning journalist – trying to tell the very story we have been trying to tell for four years.

He treated our inquiries seriously and with respect. McHale, who writes a weekly column for Caledonia’s Regional News, sent Strickland a number of questions which he did his best to answer within the limits of his role as a representative of the university. Although some of the answers were less committal than McHale was hoping for (such as if and when any of the ‘protesters’ would be charged with a crime) Strickland replied promptly and courteously.

When I contacted Strickland to advise him of our own experience at Mount Royal at the hands of radical ‘students’ supporting native extremists from Six Nations, he was also professional and understanding in a most genuine way. He didn’t try to brush me off, or distance himself. He made it clear – without taking sides on the issue – that he understood why I felt it was important to try to address for him the disgusting accusations of racism being made directly against Christie Blatchford and, indirectly, against us.

He also invited me to come to the yet-to-be-scheduled event.

3. When Blatchford’s new date was announced Nov 23/10, I did, indeed, receive the promised invitation in the form of a news release [PDF] which was emailed to me. Since I live in London I asked Strickland if he could put aside two tickets for my wife and me so as to avoid the 3 hour round trip – he did so gladly.

4. On the evening of the presentation, security was very tight with a strong police presence, but not stiflingly so. Strickland made us feel welcome and promised to make himself available for a few minutes after the event to chat.

5. Bags and coats of attendees were checked and student volunteers were stationed in washrooms to ensure no fires were set. Despite my initial amusement at seeing a student with a fire extinguisher in his hands when I went to the washroom, I was advised that the possibility of arson by ‘student’ crazies was a legitimate concern. I had a conversation with a professor on the way out of the washroom who vented not only his disgust with the intimidation of Blatchford’s original event, but the necessity of having people stationed in the washroom in order to protect free speech at his university.

Police had photos of potential disrupters and, according to the Record’s story, Dan Kellar was told he would be charged with trespassing if he tried to enter the premises.

One indication that UW was following its security plans to the letter was Strickland’s relating to us of how he regretfully had to turn down a Caledonia resident (referenced in Helpless) who wanted tickets after sales were closed.  

6. The university’s Dean of Arts – Ken Coates – explained to the near-sell out crowd, before introducing Blatchford, that anyone who disrupted the presentation would be asked to leave or be removed in the name of protecting the institution as a place where all ideas can be shared in the interest of academic freedom – including those opposed to the presenter.

7. The event, as stated, went off without a single glitch; the audience, including two occupation supporters who asked questions which Blatchford addressed in a thoughtful manner, were respectful.

When question period was over people lined up, waiting for Christie’s pen to grace the title page of their copy of Helpless. Some asked Gary McHale to autograph their copies as well and, with people waiting for their turn with Blatchford lined up on stage, CTV conducted a stand-up interview with him.

If it was just PR, it was very good PR

8. As the evening was drawing to a close, Michael Strickland gave Gary McHale and me a few minutes of his time to discuss the situation and to listen to my thoughts about the importance of getting Caledonia’s issues into the curriculum as a positive step toward furthering the healing process. He still wouldn’t answer McHale’s question, though, as to whether or not Kellar and crew would face charges.

Mary Lou Ambrogio, VP of the Canadian chapter of the International Free Press Society was scheduled to accompany me to the event, but sickness forced her to reluctantly withdraw. IFPS-Canada is the organization that brought Ann Coulter, Lars Vilks, and Philippe Karsenty (among others) to Canada, and have been watching the handling of the Blatchford incident closely. They have also taken an interest in how the OPP and anti-capitalists/anarchists supporting the lawlessness in Caledonia mounted character attacks on activists who spoke out against racial policing practices in order to discredit them. 

Coincidentally, on the same day as Blatchford’s presentation at UW, IFPS-Canada reprinted a Nov 03/10 editorial by Bill Jackson of Caledonia’s Regional News about his journalistic philosphy in covering the crisis, and his pride of being given a copy of Barb Patterson-Tuck’s painting ‘Caught in the Middle‘ by CANACE founders at the launch party for Helpless in honour of the Regional’s stand on the side of justice. 

It was clear during our discussion that Strickland had taken the time to understand both the issues of Caledonia and the people invested in speaking out for the victims, a hopeful sign indeed for the only university located within the Haldimand Tract. I can only hope that his efforts reflect a genuine interest on the part of the University of Waterloo to fulfil its moral obligation to become a leader in the study of Caledonia’s issues, and not merely a convenient cog in a public relations exercise.

When it was over Michael Strickland looked like a happy man, and well he should have. He and the University of Waterloo turned a public relations fiasco into a badge of honour that could become a potential marketing tool. I don’t expect UW will be crowing about the ‘Blatchford Incident’ in their brochures (perhaps they should), but I shouldn’t be surprised if potential students and their parents were regaled with stories from staff who were ‘there when the University of Waterloo took a stand to protect free speech and academic freedom against intimidation by bullies.’

I think the best indication that Strickland and the University of Waterloo were not merely running a PR campaign (aside from the fact that they took a strong stand to protect the right of students and the public to hear what Blatchford had to say) was his statement to McHale and me that he had read Helpless three times. This caught me by surprise as did his depth of knowledge about us. When I mentioned the fact that native people were also victims of racial policing in Caledonia, he knew our position on the issue because he had reviewed at our presentations to Mount Royal University - among other things. When I expressed my astonishment at his research, Strickland explained that he wanted to know who was coming to his university.  

(I only wish that more people touched by Caledonia would do the same: take the time to understand what those of us – whether McHale, Blatchford or me – have actually said or written rather than rely on slanderous assertions by those who have a vested interest in seeking to silence the victims of Caledonia.)

How much is Freedom of Expression worth?

When we (I with my wife, Debbie, Gary & Christine McHale and several Caledonia residents) left for a post-event discussion over some Tim Hortons coffee, someone playing ‘devil’s advocate’ raised the issue of the strong police presence, wondering if it was a ‘little too much.’

Since the person asking the question was there on July 12/09 when we finally forced the OPP to respect our right to raise a Canadian flag after a 31 month campaign, I reminded them how happy we would have been if the OPP had called out hundreds of officers, a helicopter and the London riot squad to protect Caledonia from the lawlessness, and to protect our right to walk down the street in Caledonia with Canadian flags instead of using these such overwhelming resources of the state to violate our rights.

• VoiceofCanada, July 12/10: THE END OF THE BEGINNING!

I gave a speech before our May 24/09 March for Freedom which I entitled ‘Provoking Violence? Lessons From Dr. King and the Little Rock Nine‘ in which I spoke about the startling contrast between Ontario’s use of state resources to suppress civil rights of non-natives and President Eisenhower’s calling up of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army on Sept 25/57 to protect the right of nine black children - who would come to be known as the Little Rock Nine - to go to a white school in Arkansa. Eisenhower realized that the Constitution and the law had to be defended no matter the price. 

No price would have been too high to stop Dan Kellar and his fellow censor-thugs, but free speech – as important as it is – was not the only principle at stake in the attack on Christie Blatchford at UW, as I noted in an email to her afterwards:

“To me, Christie, the greatest outrage represented by the intimidation that shut down your first presentation was not the attack on you, nor the attack on free speech – it was the outrage of yet another attack on the victims, to try to silence their voices. Last night, their voices were heard exactly where they needed to be heard, in a place that could make a significant contribution to the healing process if they choose to grasp the opportunity.”

Canada and Caledonia’s victims are better off because of the University of Waterloo

On Tuesday, December 07, 2010 the University of Waterloo did what it had to do – in a way, calling out its own lesser, but no less important version of Eisenhower’s 101st Airborne – to protect free speech and academic freedom in its university. It was no less heroic, at least in the eyes of this activist who was one of the four Canadians arrested for wanting to raise a Canadian flag in Caledonia by police who had the effrontery to tell the Ontario Human Rights Commission (case pending) in their defence they were simply protecting me and my followers from harm by an “extreme element” who might want to hurt us if we were allowed to place a Canadian flag on a hydro pole.

How dearly I would have loved to have seen the OPP’s helicopter, their hundreds of officers, and the London Police riot squad called in to protect our rights instead of being used to appease native thugs who would have found fine company in 1957 Little Rock with the racists who didn’t want black children in their white school. 

Even if Caledonia never makes it into its curriculum no one can deny that, despite its initial mis-step in allowing itself to be intimidated into cancelling Christie Blatchford’s first Helpless presentation, the University of Waterloo recovered admirably and did what it had to do to defend free speech in accordance with its stated values and that Canada is better because of it. In the four years Gary McHale and I have been working on the issue this is the first time that any institution has willingly, deliberately and decisively used the full weight of the law to defend the right of Caledonia’s victims to be heard. 

Michael Strickland and the University of Waterloo conducted a brilliant public relations campaign, but it is a pleasure to note that this was the least of their accomplishments.

Interim grade: ‘A-’

I give UW an ‘A-’ grade for the handling of the Blatchford incident, but I will gladly promote it to ‘A+’ if it lays even one charge against any of those responsible for forcing taxpayers, students and parents to bear the cost of standing up to their attack on free speech and the rule of law. 

Watch for Gary McHale’s take on uWaterloo/Blatchford

Gary McHale’s next column (Wed, Dec 15/10) in Caledonia’s Regional News will be about Christie Blatchford at UW. He has provided me with a quote from it:

“What the university did, which the OPP has completely failed to do, was to send a clear message that criminal behaviour will NOT be allowed. In the end, at least at Waterloo the rule of law not the rule of thugs is the legacy. Too bad the OPP couldn’t receive their orders from the university leadership.”

In an email to Michael Strickland alerting him to the column, Gary closes with, “The university should be thanked for upholding people’s freedoms.”

The Regional does not publish online, but McHale archives his columns here:

• Regional News (Caledonia/Haldimand): Gary McHale weekly column archive (note: the Regional does not publish online)

Related/Updates

• Moose & Squirrel, Dec 12/10: A must read: “University of Waterloo takes a stand for free speech and Christie Blatchford’s Caledonia story” (M&S points out the interesting contrast between between the attitude of uWaterloo vs. the OPP re their willingness, or lack thereof, to understand the Caledonia issue)
• Moose & Squirrel, Dec 08/10: Christie Blatchford speaks to a packed house at Waterloo

References

• HelplessByBlatchford, Dec 03/10: Blatchford set to speak at UofW next Tuesday, ‘students’ promise to disrupt
• The Record, Dec 08/10: Security tight for Blatchford’s return to UW [PDF]
• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 17/10: University of Waterloo apologizes to Christie Blatchford: “freedom to speak and to learn is fundamental”
• University of Waterloo, News Release, Nov 23/10: Christie Blatchford to discuss Helpless at uWaterloo on Dec. 7 [PDF]
• IFPS-Canada, Dec 07/10: Kudos to Caledonia Regional News and Bill Jackson
• International Free Press Society (Canada): www.ifpscanada.com
• Regional News (Caledonia/Haldimand): Gary McHale weekly column archive (note: the Regional does not publish online)
• Caledonia Victims Project, April 29/10: Campaign against Vandermaas & McHale results in positive outcome
• Caledonia Victims Project, May 04/10: 2010 ‘New Directions in Aboriginal Policy’ forum hears Caledonia’s pain…and hope
• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 22/10: Dr. Frances Widdowson on Blatchford, McHale, Vandermaas vs. academic intimidation
• VoiceofCanada, July 12/10: THE END OF THE BEGINNING!
• VoiceofCanada, May 26/09: VoC speech: Lessons from Dr. King and the Little Rock Nine
• University of Waterloo, Daily Bulletin, Oct 01/10: The Hamdullahpur era begins today

I must apologize for not being able to post this sooner; I was (am) coping with some persistent illness and a hectic schedule that included a one hour appearance with Gary McHale on CHRW Radio 94.9FM at the University of Western Ontario on Thursday as well as some non-Caledonia-related commitments. [LINK].

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

UofW 'students' plan to disrupt the rescheduled Christie Blatchford presentation on Dec 07/10. Click to read email to UofW Police, Blatchford, etc. from concerned citizen. Click to enlarge.

Christie Blatchford’s presentation at the University of Waterloo, postponed from Nov 12/10 after intimidation by radical ‘students,’ will take place next Tuesday, Dec 07/10:

• Location:University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON
  Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages Bldg. [MAP]
• Time: 7pm, Dec 07/10
• Price: No charge
• Registration: TICKETS REQ’D FOR ENTRY – register online; pick up tickets at Waterloo Bookstore (located in South Campus Hall [MAP], 519.888.4673) before 12 noon on day of event.
• Blatchford will discuss book, take questions, sign copies of Helpless

The Waterloo media relations people advise, “Space may be limited and registration is required.”

‘Students’ have threatened to disrupt the event:

• Strictly Right, Nov 30/10: Dan Kellar: the tale of Waterloo’s Marxist thug
• Blazing Cat Fur, circa Nov 27/10:  KW ARA fascists promise to disrupt Blatchford’s rescheduled speech (see also: JPG of email from concerned citizen to UofW Police, Blatchford, etc.)

References

• Strictly Right, Nov 30/10: Dan Kellar: the tale of Waterloo’s Marxist thug
• Blazing Cat Fur, circa Nov 27/10:  KW ARA fascists promise to disrupt Blatchford’s rescheduled speech (see also: JPG of email from concerned citizen to UofW Police, Blatchford, etc.)
• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 22/10: Dr. Frances Widdowson on Blatchford, McHale, Vandermaas vs. academic intimidation 
• National Post, Nov 21/10: Activist’s status as grad student up in the air (Dan Kellar, leader of intimidation protest vs. Blatchford isn’t who/what he claims to be)
• National Post, Nov 20/10: Rex Murphy: University of Waterloo ignoramuses accomplish their doltish goal
• Globe & Mail, Christie Blatchford, Nov 19/10: Three protesters shut me down once; they won’t do it again [PDF] (“I think I’ll bring my own bike lock when I’m back at Waterloo, with a suggestion where Mr. Kellar might put it.”)
• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 17/10: Donna Laframboise: Former VP of CCLA offers unique perspective on Blatchford UoW incident
• Western Standard, Nov 17/10: UofW issues apology to Christie Blatchford [PDF] (see also)
• Hamilton Spectator, Nov 17/10: The discipline of diversity [PDF]
• National Post, Nov 17/10: Today’s letters: Why do universities fear what this woman has to say? [PDF]
• Moose & Squirrel, Nov 17/10: University of Waterloo apologizes to Christie Blatchford
• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 17/10: University of Waterloo apologizes to Christie Blatchford: “freedom to speak and to learn is fundamental”
• Hamilton Spectator, Nov 17/10: Blatchford, protesters clash at book signing [PDF]
• Calgary Herald, Nov 17/10: The mob wins again [PDF]
• No Frakking Consensus, Nov 16/10: Suzuki’s Children (The Political Kind) (unique perspective on Blatchford incident from former VP of Canadian Civil Liberties Association)
• University of Waterloo bulletin, Nov 16/10: Apology after author is silenced [PDF]
• National Citizens Coalition email to members, Nov 16/10: Free Speech is alive and well at Canadian Universities – Not! [PDF]
• MPP Toby Barrett, Nov 16/10: “Distasteful treatment of our friend Christie Blatchford at the University of Waterloo” [PDF]
• International Free Press Society Canada, Nov 15/10: Speech by columnist Christie Blatchford sparks protest [PDF] (Blatchford’s University of Waterloo speech cancelled due to student intimidation)
• The Gods of the Copybook Headings, Nov 15/10: “Protest” disrupts Christie Blatchford speech on Caledonia
• National Post, Nov 15/10: Latest tool in war on free speech: bike locks [PDF] (Blatchford’s University of Waterloo speech cancelled due to student intimidation)
• The Record, Nov 15/10: Blatchford’s appearance at UW derailed by protesters [PDF]
• Macleans, Nov 14/10: Shouting ‘racist’ in a crowded university – protest shuts down Blatchford speech at Waterloo [PDF]  

Dr. Frances Widdowson is the co-author of Donner Book Prize finalist Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry, and hosted the 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum held May 05/10 at Mount Royal University in Calgary to which Gary McHale and Mark Vandermaas were invited presenters. 

Widdowson and Mount Royal University were targeted by student radicals with a campaign intended to convince the university to revoke its invitation to the two Caledonia activists via false allegations they were anti-native racists. 

Fortunately, the campaign was not successful. In this article, Widdowson provides what is perhaps the best commentary yet on the intimidation of free speech at Canadian universities since the Christie Blatchford incident at University of Waterloo as she makes her case for the vigorous defence of academic freedom.

University Protests and Freedom of Speech
by Dr. Frances Widdowson

November 20, 2010

On November 12, 2010 a group of protesters, largely from the group Anti-Racist Action, prevented Christie Blatchford from speaking at the University of Waterloo.  The university bookstore had invited Blatchford to discuss her book Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, How the Law Failed All of Us.  The protesters occupied the stage, chaining themselves together with bicycle locks, and chanted “racist, racist, racist”.  The university, which wanted to avoid politically damaging images of “security dragging three people off the stage”, chose to cancel Blatchford’s talk.  

This incident raises a number of troubling questions regarding freedom of speech at universities.  These questions were faced by Mount Royal University – the institution at which I teach – in May 2010, but they were dealt with much more satisfactorily than at the University of Waterloo.  In May of this year I organized a second “New Directions in Aboriginal Policy” forum at the university, where Gary McHale and Mark Vandermaas (both featured in Blatchford’s book) were invited to give their perspective on the Caledonia conflict.

When this became known, a number of academics across the country signed a petition “condemning” their presence.  These academics maintained that allowing McHale and Vandermaas to speak would “give these anti-Native agitators an academic stage to parade their false allegations and half-truths” and would “serve to normalize racism, aggression, appropriation, and citizen-led militias as tools to solve localized conflicts over Indigenous lands”.  What was needed, in their view, was “a recognition of Indigenous land rights, nation to nation negotiations and the peaceful settlement of land claims”. 

Although Mount Royal was pressured, even by some of its own faculty, to “reconsider this travesty”, the university acted in a manner that was consistent with its mandate to promote public debate and freedom of expression.  Instead of bowing to the demands for censorship, a representative from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, Wes Elliott, was provided with funding to come to the event from Ontario and challenge the views of McHale and Vandermaas (I had tried for many months to have an academic from Alberta do this but these efforts were in vain).  Security also was on high alert in case there were attempts to prevent people from presenting their views.

Fortunately, coercion was not necessary. All the discussions took place in a constructive fashion, and I even witnessed Wes Elliott and Gary McHale having a civil conversation in the Faculty Centre after the event.  Strangely, Kate Milley, a “white settler academic” associated with the organization that initiated the petition, actually attended the forum “to see for [herself] what was going on”.  So, after counseling a boycott of the event, Milley then went about publicizing her own, highly selective, interpretation of the proceedings.

[...]

Read the rest of this article…

• Dr. Frances Widdowson, Offended By Offence, Nov 20/10: University protests and freedom of speech

References

• Mark Vandermaas presentation to 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum, May 05/10: Listening to Victims: A Fresh Approach to Healing and Reconciliation [PDF, 21p]
• Gary McHale presentation to 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum, May 05/10: The Face of Aboriginal Sovereignty versus the Rule of Law in Caledonia [PDF, 8p]
• Caledonia Victims Project, April 29/10: Campaign against Vandermaas & McHale results in positive outcome
• Caledonia Victims Project, May 04/10: 2010 ‘New Directions in Aboriginal Policy’ forum hears Caledonia’s pain…and hope
• Tekawennake News op-ed series by Gary McHale, Mark Vandermaas, Merlyn Kinrade & Doug Fleming, July 14-21/10: Healing Two Communities [PDF, 7p -complete series; Six Nations newspapers acknowledges it has NO evidence McHale/Vandermaas et al are associated w/white supremacists)
• VoiceofCanada, April 29/09: Book Review: Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry

Christie Blatchford, Chedoke Presbyterian church, Nov 16/10, Hamilton, ON

Jeff Parkinson, co-founder of Canadian Advocates for Charter Equality (CANACE), has released a short video containing highlights from Christie Blatchford’s speech to a packed crowd at Chedoke Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario on Nov 16/10.

In addition to commenting on the “national disgrace” of the lawlessness OPP officers refused to stop, she decries the targeting of Gary McHale by Julian Fantino:

“Fantino’s extraordinary campaign to hunt down and have arrested a man named Gary McHale – who is here tonight, too – culminated in the OPP boss writing a letter of support for a native man who had assaulted McHale was probably un-precedented and was deeply disturbing. Consider how furious women would be if the justice system reverted to the days of old when a rapist should defend himself by saying, ‘Geez your Honour, she was wearing these high boots and a short skirt.’ Thats the equivalent of what Fantino did. He wrote a letter to the court in support of the man who pleaded guilty of punching McHale and said McHale had been asking for it.

“That the then-senior law officer in this province would do this should raise enormous questions about his credentials as a serious law and order candidate and the prime minister’s new best friend. As the OPP boss, Fantino brought all the power of the state in the pursuit of a law-abiding citizen whose only sin was to disagree with him.”

Christie Blatchford, Nov 16/10

• CANACE video, Nov 16/10: Christie Blatchford Helpless tour 2010

References

• CANACE: video channel
• Dec 04/08 – Fantino letter of reference to Court for Clyde Powless, man who led swarming attack on McHale on Dec 01/07 [PDF]
• Conservatives Against Fantino: www.ConservativesAgainstFantino.ca (opposing the candidacy of Julian Fantino for the CPC in Vaughan)
• JeffParkinson.ca: www.JeffParkinson.ca
• CANACE: www.CANACE.ca
• R. v. Gary McHale (Counselling Mischief Not Committed) [LINK]
• CANACE Incident Summary, Dec 13/07: CANACE calls for RCMP to take over investigation after Fantino blames victims of Caledonia violence
• CaledoniaWakeUpCall.com feature: Doug’s Smokes
• VoiceofCanada, Dec 08/07: Caledonia violence deliberately incited by depraved liar
• Police Services Act complaint, May 30/08: Vandermaas et al v. Fantino [PDF, 71P] (see part 1 re Dec 01/07 – Obstructing Justice; NOTE: since the filing of this complaint, Julian Fantino has been charged with Influencing Municipal Officials, and two of his most senior officers have been charged with Obstructing Justice)
• VoiceofCanada category: Caledonia – Dec 01/07 (58 posts)
• VoiceofCanada category: McHale Trial (12 posts)
• CANACE reference: Journalists’ Quick Reference Evidence Guide [PDF, 9p] (see p4, Julian Fantino, April 28/09 entry re dropping of Assault Police charge vs. Powless)
• Vandermaas/McHale v. Fantino , Feb 02/09: Amended Statement of Claim (defamation)
• CANACE reference: Journalists’ Quick Reference Evidence Guide [PDF, 9p]
• OPP Officer Paul McDonald [PDF, 101p] (repeatedly assaulted by natives, no investigation or charges)

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

Nazi swastika drawn on home of a Caledonia resident during the night.

Despite the shameful assault on freedom of speech and academic freedom represented by the character assassination, and intimidation that resulted in the cancellation of Christie Blatchford’s speech at the the University of Waterloo on Nov 12/10, the controversy has achieved several positive results.

Not only has it generated a storm of counter-criticism in mainstream media and blogs highlighting universities as being the front line in the battle to preserve free speech, it has – happily – dramatically boosted sales of Blatchford’s book.

Our friends at Doubleday Canada say that thanks to the Waterloo protest and the publicity it has generated they’ve had another surge of demand for the book which made it necessary to order a reprint of Helpless. 

Comment by Mark Vandermaas

All who have supported our four-year long quest to expose and oppose racial policing in Caledonia owe an ironic, yet distasteful, debt of gratitude to the radicals and anarchists who have now helped to ensure that even more people will read Helpless and understand the despicable conduct of those whose lawlessness they supported, and the dangers these self-appointed censors pose to the Charter of Rights. 

Sam Gualtieri - suffered permanent brain damage after being assaulted by native protesters Sept 13/07 during illegal occupation while in a home he was building for his daughter. Click image to read his family's tragic statement of claim in Superior Court.

It should be no surprise that those who support and/or actively worked to enable the native extremists who terrorized Caledonia do not want the victims they helped create to have a voice, and then vilify those of us who have been willing to speak for them. As I noted in my presentation at the 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum: 

The words ‘heartless’ and ‘cruel’ seem inadequate to describe the irony of a situation wherein an organized group from one race of people terrorized others with racial slurs, fire, violence, vandalism, and property seizures and then tormented their victims with false accusations of being white supremacists.

As the son of parents who lived in Nazi-occupied Holland I am offended to the very core of my being by the blaming of innocent victims for racially-motivated crimes committed against them.

• Mark Vandermaas presentation to 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum, May 05/10: Listening to Victims: A Fresh Approach to Healing and Reconciliation [PDF, 21p, 8.5MB]  

While they had the audacity to compare Blatchford to infamous Nazi Julius Streicher I have little doubt that if these so-called students found themselves at a German university in 1938 they would be the ones wearing the brown shirts and attacking Jewish professors in the name of the prevailing dogma of that day – not her. 

Dr. Frances Widdowson, author of Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry, and host of the 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum – to which both Gary McHale and I were invited presenters – argues that the non-native supporters of native radicals have more in common with Nazism than left-wing ideology:

It should be recognized, therefore, that the non-aboriginal supporters of the “Mohawk Warriors” are right-wing, not left-wing. They are right-wing because they advocate a return to tribal politics, where entitlements are determined by kinship (blood and marriage), not laws that apply universally to the citizenry, regardless of their status and/or ancestry. Accepting the views of the pseudoleftist supporters of the “Mohawk Warriors” would make Canada more unequal than it is right now (and inequality is the essence of right-wing ideologies). In fact, current demands for “aboriginal nationalism” and “sovereignty”, because they connect land to ancestry, have more in common with the ideology of Nazi Germany than left-wing ideas.

Support for the “Mohawk Warriors” exists because it is mistakenly assumed that this criminal gang, which is often acting to protect its drug and gambling turf, represents socialist ideals. Therefore, any argument put forward is accepted, regardless of the implications that this has for working class people in towns like Caledonia and marginalized members of the aboriginal population. Although left-wing thinkers should support those who are struggling for social justice and equality, achieving this will mean challenging the romantic reactionaries that have turned Caledonia into a tribal war zone.

• Offended by Offence, Dr. Frances Widdowson, Dec 02/09: Pseudoleftist support for “Mohawk Warriors” in Caledonia

(Ms. Widdowson’s perspective must be particularly galling to the pseudo-leftists because she is a self-proclaimed Marxist.)

The International Free Press Society came to a similar conclusion about who and who is not a Nazi/fascist in relation to the attack on Blatchford’s right to speak:

“Our goal was to not let her speak, we accomplished that.”- Tallula Marigold, Media Representative from the Gang of Five

If by ‘fascism’ you mean ‘suppression of opposition through terror and censorship’, then you must be speaking of the small group of individuals who shut down Christie Blatchford’s speech at the University of Waterloo.

• International Free Press Society – Canada, Nov 15/10: Speech by columnist Christie Blatchford sparks protest [PDF]

The antics of the pseudo-leftists will be their own undoing as their silly ‘boy who cried wolf’ cries of ‘racist! and ‘white supremacist!’ increasingly alienate, not only non-native Canadians, but the Six Nations people for whom they claim to speak:

• ‘The Strength of a Woman’: Six Nations Councillor Helen Miller (says the individuals and ad hoc groups like the HDI, Warriors, HMF and Steve ‘Boots’ Powless do NOT speak for the people of Six Nations who are “fed up” with their protests and smokeshacks.)

When campus police do cut the locks off the next time and drag them away by the scruff of their necks, few will be shedding tears for these enemies of free speech.  

References

• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 17/10: University of Waterloo apologizes to Christie Blatchford: “freedom to speak and to learn is fundamental”
• National Post, Nov 15/10: Latest tool in war on free speech: bike locks [PDF]HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 17/10: Donna Laframboise: Former VP of CCLA offers unique perspective on Blatchford UoW incident
• Dictionary.com: Fascism
• Ontario Superior Court, Sept 16/08, Samuel & Sandra Gualtieri v. R.: Statement of Claim
• CANACE Report: Human Costs of Illegal Occupations (Dec 2007) [PDF, 101p]
• Mark Vandermaas presentation to 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum, May 05/10: Listening to Victims: A Fresh Approach to Healing and Reconciliation [PDF, 21p, 8.5MB]  
• Caledonia Victims Project, May 04/10: 2010 ‘New Directions in Aboriginal Policy’ forum hears Caledonia’s pain…and hope

UPDATES

• Moose & Squirrel, Nov 18/10: I love it when the enemies of free speech fail

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

Mark’s ‘Caledonia resume’ can be found here.

She is also a former member of the board of directors for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association between 1993 and 1998 – and served as a Vice-President from 1998-2001. 

Donna’s remarkable accomplishments, which include being the founder of NOconsensus.org – a website devoted to researching misinformation related to climate change, enables her to offer a unique perspective on the shameful attack on free speech at the University of Waterloo against Christie Blatchford by doctoral student Dan Kellar…who happens to teach climate change to undergraduates.

Suzuki’s Children (The Political Kind)
by Donna Laframboise

Dan Kellar is a geography student at the University of Waterloo. He is currently writing a doctoral thesis under the supervision of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change author. He teaches courses in climate change to impressionable undergraduates, and describes himself this way:

I’m a PhD researcher at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada and a decolonial propagandist. I’m an organizer with AW@L (peaceculture.org)

Last week, Kellar and a handful of other students prevented journalist Christie Blatchford from speaking to a campus audience about her newly-released book, Helpless. An excerpt from that book appears here (three more are scheduled). The book describes how, in a dispute in a small Ontario community, for nearly five years the police have chosen not to enforce the law when suspects are of aboriginal (First Nations) descent. To quote from a news story:

Ms. Blatchford does not claim to have written a “360-degree view” of [the dispute in] Caledonia, but rather an account of one narrow slice of it — the failure of the rule of law. “I care about the rule of law, I believe in it. To me it’s natural that is what I would have concentrated on,” she said.

In climate change instructor Kellar’s opinion, Blatchford (a premier columnist with the national Globe and Mail newspaper) is a racist. His Twitter feed accuses her of being “a Nazi sympathizer” and of “spreading racist bullshit.” In the far-left world Kellar inhabits, aboriginal people aren’t moral agents responsible for their own actions. Instead, they are merely symbols of historical oppression.

It is no accident that Kellar teaches climate change. The justification he uses to defend the suppression of Blatchford’s free speech rights (and the suppression of the right of audience members to hear her perspective) is identical to the justification the chairman of the David Suzuki Foundation uses with respect to climate skeptics.

[...]

Read the rest of this story…

• No Frakking Consensus, Nov 16/10: Suzuki’s Children (The Political Kind)
• Google Profile: Donna Laframboise

References

• HelplessByBlatchford, Nov 17/10: University of Waterloo apologizes to Christie Blatchford: “freedom to speak and to learn is fundamental”

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

Apology after author is silenced  

University officials issued a statement yesterday in the wake of a Friday night incident in which Globe and Mail columnist Christie Blatchford was prevented from speaking at a scheduled event in the Humanities Theatre.

A group of protesters took exception to what they called the “racist” attitude of her book Helpless, which deals with the four-year standoff over native land claims in the village of Caledonia in Ontario’s Haldimand County. Blatchford had been invited to campus by the university bookstore to speak about her book. After some time, it was announced that her talk would be rescheduled.

The events of the evening were live-blogged by the Wilfrid Laurier University student newspaper The Cord, and got some media attention yesterday.

Says the statement that was issued by the university yesterday: “The University of Waterloo was disappointed that a guest invited to share a particular perspective on a topic of importance to Canadians was silenced by protesters. Globe and Mail columnist Christie Blatchford was scheduled to appear at the university on Friday night to discuss her new book Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us. Due to safety issues, the university decided to reschedule the event.

“The university considers Friday’s events as an attack on its presence as a place where issues are explored, discussed and at times debated. The freedom to speak and to learn is fundamental to the institution. Waterloo’s ethical behaviour policy states: ‘The University is an autonomous community which exists to further the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge and understanding through scholarship and teaching. The University aims to ensure an environment of tolerance and respect and believes that the right of individuals to advance their views openly must be upheld throughout the University.’ To ensure there is no doubt of the university’s convictions, Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur apologized to Ms. Blatchford, on behalf of the university community, for Friday night’s disruption. He has asked the community to begin planning for a safe, open and respectful dialogue featuring Ms. Blatchford and her book.”

Concerns raised re brazen attack on intellectual freedom and free speech

The Blatchford incident attracted national attention from concerned students, politicians, media and NGOs which included the International Free Press Society and the National Citizens Coalition who were alarmed at the flagrant assault on intellectual freedom and freedom of speech on a topic of national importance.

International Free Press Society (Canada)

IFPS-Canada – the organization that has brought Phillippe Karsenty, Ann Coulter, Mark Steyn and Lars Vilks to Canada – made one of the most astute observations of all as to who, with respect to this issue, is most deserving of the term ‘fascist’: 

“Our goal was to not let her speak, we accomplished that.”- Tallula Marigold, Media Representative from the Gang of Five

If by ‘fascism’ you mean ‘suppression of opposition through terror and censorship’, then you must be speaking of the small group of individuals who shut down Christie Blatchford’s speech at the University of Waterloo.

• International Free Press Society Canada, Nov 15/10: Speech by columnist Christie Blatchford sparks protest [PDF]

Calgary Herald – ‘The Mob Wins Again’

[...] Invoking a familiar cop-out, university security told Blatchford they could not ensure her safety, so she went home.

Alas, the thugs win again, just like they did earlier this year in keeping Ann Coulter away from the University of Ottawa. The message is that anyone who wants to shut down a speaker on a Canadian campus simply has to stage a protest and a university will cave in. Increasingly, intolerance is winning. As Stephen Harper noted in a speech last week, “anti-Semitism has gained a place at our universities, where at times it is not the mob who are removed, but the Jewish students under attack.”

The University of Waterloo should have called for backup, cut the bike locks and dragged away the three protesters, along with their negotiator and media spokesperson.

The right to protest must be defended. But when it shuts down discussion and debate, a cherished constitutional liberty is attacked.

• Calgary Herald, Nov 17/10: The mob wins again [PDF]

National Post, letter to editor by Mindy G. Alter, Toronto

How fitting that the “protesters” who prevented Christie Blatchford from speaking at the University of Waterloo should have made their point via “bike locks.” These are people who have “locked” their minds to opposing viewpoints and who march in “lock step” with the political correctness that has transformed Western campuses into little tin pot tyrannies of “virtue.”

That said, you can’t blame the bike lock brigade for torpedoing Ms. Blatchford’s talk. No, the credit for that goes to craven authorities who, all too frequently these days, use the excuse of “security concerns” to shut down speakers whom the bike lock types abhor — the Coulters, Steyns and now, the Blatchfords.

When our children and grandchildren ask us how we could allow our most precious freedom, free speech, to slip away, we can explain that the police thought our “safety” was more important that our freedom, and that we, poor fools, did nothing to disabuse them of this pernicious idea.

• National Post, Nov 17/10: Today’s letters: Why do universities fear what this woman has to say? [PDF]
• see also: National Post, Nov 15/10: Latest tool in war on free speech: bike locks [PDF]

MPPs Toby Barrett & Rick Hillier

In a Nov 16/10 email MPP Toby Barrett described how he denounced the student group in the Legislature, and called on Haldimand-Norfolk constituents to join him and fellow MPP Rick Hillier to support Blatchford at a book signing yesterday evening at a church in Hamilton:

Toby here,

This afternoon I was afforded the opportunity to speak out against the distasteful treatment of our friend Christie Blatchford at the University of Waterloo. 

Please see the statement from this afternoon, pasted below.

Again, if you can get out to support Christie tonight in Hamilton at 7 p.m. at the Chedoke Presbyterian Church, 865 Mohawk Road West, I am sure she’d appreciate it. I have freed up my schedule and my colleague MPP Randy Hillier and I will be there. 

Hope to see you this evening.

Toby

One day after Remembrance Day, Christie Blatchford was to deliver a speech at the University of Waterloo on her book Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us. 

One day after we paid tribute to those who fought to the death for such rights as Freedom of Speech, Ms. Blatchford was prevented from speaking.. 

A university spokesperson said, “Unfortunately there is a small minority that felt that they would win if they’d just sit on the stage and yell ‘racist, racist, racist’”. 

“They did win,” said Blatchford. “If their whole goal is to shut down free speech, then absolutely, they were successful.” 

An online photo shows protestors carrying a swastika across the stage. 

This is not over Speaker — The First Nations Solidarity Working Group has issued a call to organize and respond to Blatchford as she makes her way across Canada promoting her book. 

Freedom of expression and free speech is important – people have fought to their death for these freedoms. Don’t impose censorship on another because you don’t agree. Intimidation is wrong and cowardly. If you want to get your message out you need to let others do the same. 

Christie Blatchford may return to Waterloo. She is speaking tonight in Hamilton — I trust her right to freedom of expression is enforced.

• MPP Toby Barrett, Nov 16/10: “Distasteful treatment of our friend Christie Blatchford at the University of Waterloo” [PDF]\
• see also: Hamilton Spectator, Nov 17/10: Blatchford, protesters clash at book signing [PDF]

Helping UofW understand the truth behind the false accusations of ‘racist!’ against non-native activists and commenters

We have provided information to the university to counter the outrageous propaganda of some of the radicals who have, in the past, painted non-natives who speak out on behalf of Caledonia victims as anti-native, racists and neo-nazis, etc.

• Tekawennake News (Six Nations) op-ed series, July 14-21/10: Healing Two Communities [PDF, 7p] 
• Mark Vandermaas presentation to 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum at Mount Royal University, May 05/10: Listening to Victims: A Fresh Approach to Healing and Reconciliation [PDF, 21p, 8.5MB - be patient]
• Gary McHale & CANACE vs. Tom Keefer & CUPE 3903 [PDF, 4p]

Readers who wish to understand the role of radical students, unionists, anarchists and terror sympathizers in fomenting lawlessness in Caledonia and Brantford, and falsely accusing victims and their advocates of being racists should review these key documents.

References

• University of Waterloo bulletin, Nov 16/10: Apology after author is silenced [PDF]
• International Free Press Society (Canada): www.ifpscanada.com
• Western Standard, Nov 17/10: UofW issues apology to Christie Blatchford [PDF]
• Hamilton Spectator, Nov 17/10: The discipline of diversity [PDF]
• National Post, Nov 17/10: Today’s letters: Why do universities fear what this woman has to say? [PDF]
• Calgary Herald, Nov 17/10: The mob wins again [PDF]
• National Citizens Coalition email to members, Nov 16/10: Free Speech is alive and well at Canadian Universities – Not! [PDF] (Blatchford’s University of Waterloo speech cancelled due to student intimidation)
• No Frakking Consensus, Nov 16/10: Suzuki’s Children (The Political Kind) (unique perspective on Blatchford incident from former VP of Canadian Civil Liberties Association)
• MPP Toby Barrett, Nov 16/10: “Distasteful treatment of our friend Christie Blatchford at the University of Waterloo” [PDF]
• International Free Press Society Canada, Nov 15/10: Speech by columnist Christie Blatchford sparks protest [PDF] (Blatchford’s University of Waterloo speech cancelled due to student intimidation)
• National Post, Nov 15/10: Latest tool in war on free speech: bike locks [PDF]
• The Record, Nov 15/10: Blatchford’s appearance at UW derailed by protesters [PDF]
• Macleans, Nov 14/10: Shouting ‘racist’ in a crowded university – protest shuts down Blatchford speech at Waterloo [PDF]

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas, info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

The Liberals, once again, told the Legislature they were relying on the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry – even though they (and the Opposition) know full well that it never studied the issue of preventing native violence against innocent residents. Please see the notes and resources following Barrett’s email:

—————————————

[PDF]

From: Barrett, Toby [toby.barrett@pc.ola.org
Sent: Tue 10/26/2010 4:08 PM
Subject: Caledonia update

Re: Christie’s book 

Good afternoon Toby here,

The release of Christie Blatchford’s book at 9 a.m. this morning provided a good opportunity to query the McGuinty government on their plans for the dispute. 

Please find below the news release regarding the questions I asked in the Ontario Legislature, as well as the draft Hansard transcript. 

Toby 

For Immediate Release

October 26, 2010

Is Blatchford’s ‘Helpless’ the final word on Caledonia?

Minister shrugs call for public inquiry 

Queen’s Park – On the launch of renowned journalist Christie Blatchford’s chronicle of the land occupation in Caledonia, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett asked Premier McGuinty if this book represents the final chapter. 

“Her book is titled Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us. “Some questions, Premier: Does this wrap it up? Is this the final say on what happened, on what went wrong down in Caledonia? Premier, now will you get to the bottom of this?”

In true McGuinty fashion, the Premier passed the buck to Attorney General Chris Bentley who ducked the question and took the time to speak about land claims rather than Barrett’s inferred questions about law and order.  

In the introduction of the book, Blatchford states, “What the book is really about is the failure of government to govern and to protect all its citizens equally. She also notes, “Over the ensuing four years -- and then some, as the occupation continues to this day -- the rule of law was utterly decimated.” 

“Attorney General, these are serious allegations. Is this the final say? Barrett again queried. “Is this how the record stands? Is this how the record will stand, or will you now call a public inquiry?” 

Minister Bentley suggested an inquiry has already been conducted and cited Justice Linden’s Ipperwash Report from 2003. “That inquiry, which took several years and contained many recommendations, is really the starting point for a better, more fruitful approach to the resolution of issues.” 

Following question period Barrett said that the Minister is naive in thinking the Ipperwash Report can resolve the Caledonia crisis.  

“Here we have a journalist who has penned a thorough account of the anarchy in Caledonia in just a matter of months, and yet we see a government – after four-and-a-half years – nowhere near a starting point for resolution.” 

- 30 -

Public inquiry into Caledonia

Mr. Toby Barrett: To the Premier: Christie Blatchford launched her book today, chronicling the sorry saga of the occupation of Douglas Creek Estates in Caledonia. Her book is titled Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us.

Some questions, Premier: Does this wrap it up? Is this the final say on what happened, on what went wrong down in Caledonia? Another question, Premier: Now will you get to the bottom of this?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Attorney General.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: We are working very hard. We’re working very hard with surrounding municipalities and with Six Nations and we’re working to engage the federal government more actively in a resolution of issues that have been around for more than a century.

I want to recognize the hard work that has gone into this already, but I say we need to find a solution for the future. The fact of the matter is, before the events that have given rise to some of my colleague’s questions, people from both communities, from all the communities, lived together, worked together, played together—and they do to this day.

Although it will not be easy to find, there is a resolution here that we’re going to work very hard to uncover.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Toby Barrett: Back to the Premier or the Attorney General: Christie Blatchford in her introduction states, “What [the book] is” really “about is the failure of government to govern and to protect all its citizens equally.” As she states, “Over the ensuing four years—and then some, as the occupation continues to this day—the rule of law was utterly decimated.”

Premier or Attorney General, these are serious allegations. Is this the final say? Is this how the record stands? Is this how the record will stand? Or will you now call a public inquiry? …

L060-1130-26 follows 

(Mr. Toby Barrett)

 … Attorney General, these are serious allegations. Is this the final say? Is this how the record stands? Is this how the record will stand, or will you now call a public inquiry?

1130

Hon. Christopher Bentley: My colleague opposite will remember that there was a public inquiry. It was called the Ipperwash inquiry, and it was a result of a terrible tragedy that resulted from a different approach. That inquiry, which took several years and contained many recommendations, is really the starting point for a better, more fruitful approach to the resolution of issues.

Let’s be clear that none of these issues are easy, otherwise they would have been resolved. The land claim issues, which the federal government must resolve, have been around for more than a century—more than a century. There’s no cookie-cutter approach; there’s no cookie-cutter answer.

The Linden inquiry has good advice; we’re following it. We’re working with everybody to find a resolution to this very challenging situation.

—————————–

NOTE: Toby Barrett is the author of the Feb 11/08 Haldimand Proclamation for Peace, Order and Good Government.

• VoiceofCanada feature: The Barrett Proclamation

About the Ipperwash Inquiry ‘defence’… 

Ontario’s use of a biased inquiry that never studied violence against innocent residents in Ipperwash to continually justify the abandonment of Caledonia residents

OPP Ipperwash editorial cartoon. Click image to enlarge.

On March 14/07 Mark Vandermaas, Gary McHale and Ipperwash activist Mary-Lou LaPratte presented the Ipperwash Papers project at a news conference held in the Queens Park Media Studion. The Ipperwash Papers is a collection of more than 400 pages of documents that were never entered into evidence at the Inquiry – documents that show how OPP/DND refusal to enforce the law led to escalating violence that victimized residents in a nearly identical fashion to those in Caledonia, leading eventually to the death of Dudley George. 

The Inquiry went to extraordinary lengths to exclude non-native victims from the Inquiry and suppress their evidence. Readers can learn more at these links:

• Regional News series, Feb 18-25/09: McGuinty’s Ipperwash Cover-up: the Caledonia Legacy [PDF, 10p]
• VoiceofCanada feature: The Ipperwash Papers  
• The Ipperwash Papers Project official website: www.IpperwashPapers.ca
• Mark Vandermaas presentation to 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum, May 05/10: Listening to Victims: A Fresh Approach to Healing and Reconciliation [PDF, 21p]

Sadly, not one MPP has ever risen in the Legislature to denounce the government’s ‘Ipperwash Inquiry’ defence since we first presented the Ipperwash Papers project at Queens Park even though various McGuinty cabinet members through the years have deflected calls for an inquiry and justice by citing the methodologically-flawed recommendations of the inquiry.

One must wonder how we can ever find meaningful solutions while the Opposition continually refuse to expose the terrible truth about the Ipperwash Inquiry? 

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas, info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

This is the first in a series of excerpts and related commentary from Christie Blatchford’s upcoming book, Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, And How The Law Failed All of Us. It tells Caledonia’s story and the story of those who fought back to preserve the rule of law:

The Globe & Mail
Caledonia: the town that law forgot [PDF]
by Christie Blatchford
Oct 24/10

Now that I’ve written a whole book about what happened in Caledonia, Ont., starting in February of 2006 and continuing to this day, it’s daunting to offer a precis. But basically it’s this: The people of that lovely small town just an hour and change from Toronto were abandoned by their governments, and ultimately by their police force, and left to fend for themselves. The book is about the failure of government to govern, and of leaders to lead.

From the get-go, the federal and provincial governments had adopted a hands-off policy to the occupation. Ottawa didn’t even recognize the tenuous land claim that residents of Six Nations were belatedly making, and deferred to Queen’s Park; the Ontario government nonetheless treated the occupation as purely a land claim and somehow, overtly or in the subtle ways that are the hallmark of practised politicians, made its wishes known; the Ontario Provincial Police, first under then-commissioner Gwen Boniface and later under her successor Julian Fantino, now a star candidate for the Stephen Harper Conservatives, obligingly carried that message to the force’s rank and file.

The end result was a form of policing that would be simply unrecognizable to Canadians living anywhere else in the country: cops who watched or turned away as the law was broken, sometime brazenly; cops who appeared to take sides and would take action against only one group of people and not the other; cops who refused to make arrests, conduct investigations or protect the public.

Some of those officers who resisted were either punished, reprimanded or disciplined, with the result that the others lost heart.

Few people are as shamed by Caledonia, sickened by their own impotence, as the men and women of the OPP who worked there regularly.

At one end of the spectrum is a letter written by then-commissioner Fantino in December of 2008.

The occasion was the criminal trial of Clyde Powless, a Six Nations man who had acted as one of the band’s spokesmen and liaisons during the most heated period of the occupation.

Mr. Powless was on trial for assaulting a non-native, anti-occupation leader named Gary McHale, an offence to which Mr. Powless pleaded guilty on Dec. 8 that year, and for which he received a conditional discharge.

But on Dec. 4, Commissioner Fantino provided a letter to Mr. Powless’s lawyer.

He gave Mr. Powless a ringing endorsement. He blamed the victim, Mr. McHale, for having provoked the assault. “The Honourable Court,” he suggested, might want to consider that Mr. Powless had often acted as a peacemaker.

It was extraordinary, and it was official: Ontario’s senior law official was not only denouncing the victim of a crime, he was also singing the praises of the assailant to a judge.

[...]

——————————————

References

• Globe & Mail, Christie Blatchford, Oct 24/10: The town that law forgot [PDF]
• Dec 04/08 – Fantino letter of reference to Court for Clyde Powless, man who led swarming attack on Gary McHale on Dec 01/07 [PDF]
• Caledonia Victims Project: R. v. Gary McHale (Counselling Mischief Not Committed)
• VoiceofCanada, Dec 22/09: Brown-Chatwell trial: crimes against democracy
• ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT: 1536412 Ontario Ltd. v. HCCC, HDI, ruby & Floyd Montour, Hazel Hill (Cayuga occupation, May-June 2008) (rebuke of OPP for abusing power & discretion in refusing to assist non-native occupation victim; natives subject to rule of law)
• ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT: John Voortman & Associates v. HCCC, HMF (Hagersville occupation, April 2009) (natives subject to rule of law)
• MANITOBA COURT OF APPEAL: R. v. Catagas, 1977 [PDF, 7p] (gov’t cannot exempt groups or races from Criminal Code; see also LINK for key excerpt & related)
• VoiceofCanada, July 07/10: McGuinty appoints cop charged with Obstructing Justice as head of OPP
• VoiceofCanada, March 17/10: Minister knew about OPP obstruction allegations in 2008
• VoiceofCanada, March 16/10: Senior OPP officers charged w/Obstructing Justice in McHale case
• VoiceofCanada category: Fantino on Trial
• VoiceofCanada feature: Caledonia Lawsuits
• CANACE Report: Human Costs of Illegal Occupations (Dec 2007) [PDF, 101p]
• CANACE Report: Legalized MYTHS of Illegal Occupations (May 2008) [PDF, 56p]
• CANACE Reference Feature: Race-Based Policing (MUST SEE for journalists)
• Regional News: Gary McHale’s weekly column (bias in Crown’s office; political interference; criminal case against him, etc.)
• CBC News, Feb 02/10: The 2 men who are putting a police chief on trial [PDF]
• CBC News, Feb 02/10: Ont. top cop pushed for charges against protester [PDF]
• Globe & Mail, April 21/10: Charges stayed against relentless critic of Ontario Provincial Police in Caledonia occupation [PDF]
• Globe & Mail, Feb 02/10: OPP’s chief’s pursuit of activist laid bare in emails [PDF]
• HelplessByBlatchford: www.HelplessByBlatchford.ca
• Caledonia Victims Project: www.CaledoniaVictimsProject.ca

(Note that the date of the meeting with Inspector Getty described in paragraph 3 was actually April 28/06, not Feb 28th as shown. The meeting occurred eight days after the disastrous raid of April 20/06):

CALEDONIA It was a bizarre display of self-congratulation for an OPP commander whose elite squad had been publicly humiliated by a group of crudely armed native protesters only eight days before.

Instead of removing protesters from Douglas Creek Estates (DCE), members of the OPP tactical team were themselves pelted with rocks, attacked with clubs and other makeshift weapons and driven off the occupation site as television cameras rolled.

But on Feb. 28, 2006, two months after the protesters took over the subdivision, Inspector Mel Getty held a meeting to praise his troops for their handling of the volatile situation.

He declared the operation a smashing success and defied anybody to disagree with him. “If anyone doesn’t agree, you can leave the door right now,” he stated while pointing to the exits.

According to Globe and Mail columnist Christie Blatchford’s new book, Helpless, Getty then said something even more astonishing. The new mission, he stated, was for the OPP to protect “natives from non-natives.” It was the first time a superior officer had told them they should be treating people differently because of their racial background. [...]

• Oct 15/10: Hamilton Spectator: A nightmare of fear and anarchy

CBC News coverage of April 20/06 failed OPP raid

Note how occupiers complain of police use of force, but are proud to say they resisted arrest.

• CBC News, April 20/06: Failed OPP Raid on Douglas Creek Estates

OPP testimony about the violence by native occupiers

• Journalist’s Quick Reference Evidence Guide re OPP testimony [PDF, 9p] (see Officer Jeff Bird, p5)
• related: VoiceofCanada, Dec 22/09: Brown-Chatwell trial: crimes against democracy

Photos from raid

Canadian citizens forced to carry ‘passports’

After the abortive April 20, 2006 raid the protesters had set up checkpoints around the 40-hectare residential subdivision, issued passports to residents and imposed curfews. Debbie Thomson, who was forced to go through the checkpoints, told Blatchford the protesters had even threatened to body search her. But they backed off when she told them to get lost.

• Oct 15/10: Hamilton Spectator: A nightmare of fear and anarchy

When CANACE co-founders Merlyn Kinrade and Mark Vandermaas visited another traumatized Sixth Line Family – the Dudychs – they were shown a sample of the pass native protesters forced them to carry.

• Caledonia Victims Project, April 13/10: Caledonia’s youngest hero: 14 year old Pam ‘Dancer’ Dudych

A new mission begins April 28/06: protect criminals from their victims

The photos of broken windows and body damage to OPP vehicles provide a hint of the violence by native protesters that chased officers from the site.

The Spectator article contains the merest hint at the many other shocking details about the OPP’s racial policing policies exposed in Helpless, including that the OPP – after being attacked by hundreds of native protesters with weapons – now had a new mission:

“According to Globe and Mail columnist Christie Blatchford’s new book, Helpless, Getty then said something even more astonishing. The new mission, he stated, was for the OPP to protect “natives from non-natives.”

• Oct 15/10: Hamilton Spectator: A nightmare of fear and anarchy

Resources

• ‘HelplessByBlatchford’: News & Reviews
• Caledonia Victims Project: www.CaledoniaVictimsProject.ca
• CANACE feature: Race-Based Policing 

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas, info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca

‘HELPLESS by Blatchford’ Project co-founder Mark Vandermaas emailed the publisher after receiving the link on Oct 13/10 with his emotional reaction.

After watching the video, be sure to see the correspondence between Mark and the publisher below.

• Doubleday Canada promo video: ‘HELPLESS’

Mark’s note to Doubleday…

I can’t begin to tell you how emotional it is to watch that video. To finally watch Caledonia’s story and ours being told so well, so forcefully, so compassionately, so authentically…I hardly have words right now, and I know Merlyn Kinrade is going to feel the same. We military men are an emotional bunch for some reason; I guess it’s because we just care so damn much.

The photos in the video bring back memories: I was there on Jan 20/07 when the natives screamed insults at us and flipped us the bird as we stood silently with the Canadian flags the OPP wouldn’t allow us to walk down the road with or raise across from the occupation site. They left, frustrated, after 30 minutes without us saying a word in retaliation. It was a powerful experience, and a sign that Dr. King’s methods were going to work for us.

I was also there on Dec 01/07 when Gary was attacked (I was in a police car at the time of the actual assault because the police took me away to be questioned instead of the native driver who deliberately ran into my flag pole while going down the wrong side of the road through the crowd). I took photos of his injuries in the hospital. The natives assaulted me first (I wasn’t injured) and the police refused to arrest them, but they managed to arrest the resident standing quietly on the blocked road drinking his Tim’s.

Now, you have made these pictures permanent symbols of injustice that will shame the perpetrators and open the hearts of many as surely as the images of blacks being attacked with dogs and fire hoses did in Dr. King’s day. Well done. I’ve thanked Christie many times, but I must thank you all at Doubleday for having the courage to make this all possible. There were times when I wondered if I would be alive to see this day arrive.

We’ve just purchased the domain www.HELPLESSBYBLATCHFORD.CA and built a site to promote Christie’s book as an educational tool to help Canadians understand rule of law issues and encourage academic discussion, a call I made in my presentation to the 2010 New Directions in Aboriginal Policy forum at Mount Royal University, Calgary on May 5th this year:

• Listening to Victims: A Fresh Approach to Healing and Reconciliation [PDF 8.5MB, 21p]

Gary’s presentation was:

• The Face of Aboriginal Sovereignty versus the Rule of Law in Caledonia [PDF, 8p]

This book can help us take a positive step towards healing and reconciliation, I believe.

Doubleday’s reply

“I am enormously proud to have had anything to do with Helpless. Of all the books I have worked on, this is the one I have most cared about seeing in the bestseller lists. And not for commercial reasons, for a change. I want Helpless to be a talking point all across Canada. I’m praying that the Canadian media use Helpless as an opportunity to tackle this subject properly at last. I hope – as you say – that the result will be to bring reconciliation a little closer.”

References

• ‘Helpless by Blatchford’ Project: News & Reviews

This is a joint project to help readers and researchers by key Caledonia activists who devoted thousands of hours over the past four years documenting and opposing the terrible injustices of the Caledonia crisis.

We plan to add many resources over the coming weeks to support the book and further our goal of moving the shocking issues raised by it onto the policy debate table.

Note that, beyond what you see here, resources directly related to the book will only be made available on the official launch date of Oct 26th. 

Click here for more info about the project and the people behind it.

POSTED BY: Mark Vandermaas, info@caledoniavictimsproject.ca