Premier Dalton McGuinty has flatly refused to call an inquiry into the way police handled security at last summer's G20 Summit in Toronto, saying "We've got five independent reviews taking place now. I think that's a lot of expertise and independent perspective, and I think that's going to do a really good job."
We think the premier is wrong. There could soon be a dozen independent reviews, based on the numbers of people still coming forward with complaints about the way they were treated last June.
It makes no sense to review allegations of abuse in isolation. With more than 1,100 arrests -the largest single mass arrest in Canadian peacetime history -there is a need for a full public inquiry to see if police did, indeed, violate the rights of protesters and innocent bystanders alike.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called McGuinty's dismissal "shameful," and delivered a further blow when she said "I think everybody realizes that those five odd inquiries or reviews are a bit of a patchwork. The only way to get at exactly what went wrong in terms of police decisions and training is through a public inquiry." That is precisely right.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which joined forces with the National Union of Public and General Employees to hold public hearings last year, has called on the federal government to look into the situation.
"It is imperative that there be a full public inquiry into what happened during the G20 to ensure that it does not happen again," said Nathalie Des Rosiers, general counsel for the CCLA. "The maintenance of public confidence in law enforcement demands nothing less."
The CCLA, NUPGE and NDP have provided several compelling examples of illegal detentions, searches and excessive use of force. At the same time, the premier has acknowledged a number of botched and mixed messages, including a regulation that gave the mistaken impression police had the powers to arrest anyone refusing to submit to a search within five metres of the G20 zone perimeter.
"We said before there were shortcomings that we've admitted to in connection with that," McGuinty said earlier this week. That's not an acceptable defence. It also begs the question: What hasn't the government admitted to?
The public will probably never know, without a full and public investigation. Doing individual reviews, as Horwath says, provides no context for the events that took place last June. Perhaps that's what McGuinty is counting on.
An inquiry is the most cost-effective and comprehensive way to examine the way security issues were handled. It's also a way to make sure we do better next time.
If the province isn't willing to co-operate, the federal government must step in, because admit it or not, these unfortunate incidents tarnished our nation's image on the world stage.
Source: http://www.windsorstar.com
We think the premier is wrong. There could soon be a dozen independent reviews, based on the numbers of people still coming forward with complaints about the way they were treated last June.
It makes no sense to review allegations of abuse in isolation. With more than 1,100 arrests -the largest single mass arrest in Canadian peacetime history -there is a need for a full public inquiry to see if police did, indeed, violate the rights of protesters and innocent bystanders alike.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called McGuinty's dismissal "shameful," and delivered a further blow when she said "I think everybody realizes that those five odd inquiries or reviews are a bit of a patchwork. The only way to get at exactly what went wrong in terms of police decisions and training is through a public inquiry." That is precisely right.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which joined forces with the National Union of Public and General Employees to hold public hearings last year, has called on the federal government to look into the situation.
"It is imperative that there be a full public inquiry into what happened during the G20 to ensure that it does not happen again," said Nathalie Des Rosiers, general counsel for the CCLA. "The maintenance of public confidence in law enforcement demands nothing less."
The CCLA, NUPGE and NDP have provided several compelling examples of illegal detentions, searches and excessive use of force. At the same time, the premier has acknowledged a number of botched and mixed messages, including a regulation that gave the mistaken impression police had the powers to arrest anyone refusing to submit to a search within five metres of the G20 zone perimeter.
"We said before there were shortcomings that we've admitted to in connection with that," McGuinty said earlier this week. That's not an acceptable defence. It also begs the question: What hasn't the government admitted to?
The public will probably never know, without a full and public investigation. Doing individual reviews, as Horwath says, provides no context for the events that took place last June. Perhaps that's what McGuinty is counting on.
An inquiry is the most cost-effective and comprehensive way to examine the way security issues were handled. It's also a way to make sure we do better next time.
If the province isn't willing to co-operate, the federal government must step in, because admit it or not, these unfortunate incidents tarnished our nation's image on the world stage.
Source: http://www.windsorstar.com
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