Con's Medical Bills, Instant Grits, Adil Charkaoui-CSIS, Ottawa Failed to Deport Accused Killer Twice, Chretien-Gomery

Cons' doctor bills climbing -- Drug costs drive prison medical tab up 26% in five years

Cons' doctor bills climbing -- Drug costs drive prison medical tab up 26% in five years Kathleen Harris, Parliamentary Bureau, Jan. 12, 05

Federal inmates are getting "deluxe" medical treatment behind bars, with costs per prisoner roughly double that of the average Canadian on the outside.

Taxpayers spent $81.5 million to keep 12,500 offenders healthy last year, providing free access to prescription drugs, medical treatments and a controversial methadone program for heroin addicts.

Figures obtained by the Sun under Access to Information show the tab jumped 26% from $64.8 million in just five years, driven up by soaring pharmaceutical and opiate-addiction drug costs. [. . . . ]

Read the details. It sounds like another instance of people choosing hard lives, drugs, et cetera; then the system has to fix them and the taxpayers who were their victims have to pay. To the inmates, I am tempted to say, as a young teen I knew used to drawl, "Suffah, dog" -- but of course, that would not be kind nor all-inclusive of those who have "made mistakes", parhaps been "victims" themselves--of being born poor or differently coloured or in poverty elsewhere or . . . . .




No more instant Grits

No more instant Grits National Post, Jan. 12, 05

[. . . . ] So if the Liberals are serious about insisting that recruits pay for themselves, they will require all future payments to be made by credit card or personal cheque.

There are other ways, too, in which the Liberals could usefully tighten their membership rules. Notably, they could cut down on the recruitment of people who are otherwise politically disengaged by limiting membership to Canadian citizens. And they could stop letting minors vote in leadership races and nominations -- a sensible change, given that Canadians must be at least 18 years old to vote in general elections. [. . . . ]

Lawyers for alleged terrorist want case dropped

Lawyers for alleged terrorist want case dropped Brian Daly, CanWest, Jan. 12, 05

MONTREAL (CP) - Lawyers for alleged terrorist Adil Charkaoui moved Tuesday to have the case against him dropped, saying Canada's spy agency tainted the evidence by destroying notes from two interviews with him.

Defence lawyer Dominique Larochelle said she'll ask a Federal Court judge to quash a security certificate that has kept Charkaoui behind bars since May 2003. [. . . . ]

CSIS has destroyed evidence in case against man accused of links to al-Qaeda, court told

CSIS has destroyed evidence in case against man accused of links to al-Qaeda, court told

[. . . . ] Dominique Larochelle said the destruction of notes and transcripts of interviews the Canadian Security Intelligence Service conducted with Mr. Charkaoui in 2002 is a violation that may prejudice her client. She said there is no way of knowing whether the information was obtained in a way that respected his rights. Mr. Charkaoui has been held without charge since May, 2003 on suspicion of having al-Qaeda ties. [. . . . ]

Ottawa failed twice to deport accused killer -- Sister-in-law slain

Ottawa failed twice to deport accused killer -- Sister-in-law slain Andrew Duffy, CanWest News Service, Jan. 11, 05

OTTAWA - An Ottawa man accused of murdering his sister-in-law last week avoided two federal-government attempts to deport him to Iran in 2000 and 2001, in part due to support from the woman he allegedly killed.

Court documents show immigration officials declared Allen Tehrankari a danger in December, 2000, three months later a Federal Court judge quashed their first danger opinion. The court ordered a new hearing due to a faulty assessment of the risk posed to Mr. Tehrankari by his deportation to Iran.

The second attempt to deport Mr. Tehrankari failed in October, 2001, when a judge again rejected the government's argument that he was a menace to Canadian society.

Federal immigration officials abandoned their attempts to deport Mr. Tehrankari after the second decision.

Mr. Tehrankari, 36, faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of his sister-in-law, Barbara Galway, 46, of Almonte, Ont. Ms. Galway's charred body was found on Thursday near a popular nature trail in Ottawa's Mer Bleue Conservation Area.

[. . . . ] Mr. Tehrankari was released from prison in October, 2000, after serving two-thirds of his 12-year sentence for bank robbery, kidnapping and firearms offences.

I suppose if returned to Iran, he might "face torture"? Has his his "privacy" been protected? Does he have a child born in Canada who would miss Daddy? As for the rest of us . . . . .




Chretien's lawyer bids to oust Gomery -- "OTTAWA - The moonlighting farmer from Montreal now faces the prospect of being dethroned from what he describes as the crowning achievement of a blemish-free career on the bench."

The whole Liberal machine will keep--protect?--Jean Chretien from justice, whether for himself or for Canadians.

Chretien's lawyer bids to oust Gomery Don Martin, CanWest, Jan. 12, 05

[. . . . ] His ouster would be a huge loss for Canadians hoping someone will plumb the muddy bottom of this dirty mess. An inquiry now moving into its fifth month of testimony would have to restart from scratch, giving some shadowy witnesses another opportunity to change their stories or fudge their facts. Time would tick backwards, likely delaying the inquiry's conclusion until after the next election. And there'd be no finding a commission chairman of Gomery's feisty stature -- legally bulletproof, fluently bilingual, keenly driven and at the point of a distinguished career where being a 72-year-old grandfather means there's nothing personal to gain or lose by whacking the Liberal party elite.

[. . . . ] Of course, Gomery's not totally impartial on the scandal and should be forgiven some bias. No brain-equipped commissioner could listen to such a loud parade of fibbers and professional butt protectors operating such a charade of public accountability without being unfavourably swayed by the horror of it all.

If anything, his disgust at the program offers proof there's a sound legal mind in charge of the proceedings. His only wrongdoing was saying to a journalist what any severely normal person already believes to be true.

And so, Gomery should be allowed to continue his work. He insists his mind is still open to witness testimony yet to be heard, and I believe him

More details:

Chretien lawyer questions judge Jim Brown, Jan. 11, 05, CNEWS

Chretien's lawyer bids to oust Gomery -- Judge's remarks assailed Kathryn May, CanWest News Service