Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Nobody's fault

by Aaron Wherry on Thursday, December 9, 2010 10:59am - 19 Comments

In regards to the sweeping police powers invoked during the G20 summit, the Toronto Police Chief points to the Integrated Security Unit, the coordinating authority established by the RCMP. The RCMP says it was “made aware” that the Toronto police might invoke the law, but “not consulted.”

The Ontario ombudsman’s report lays out a series of discussions between federal, provincial and municipal authorities starting at paragraph 117 and by that telling, it was federal legislation that was first considered.

It appears that the federal government’s reluctance to enter into an agreement under the Foreign Missions and International Organizations Act provided increased incentive for officials to look to the Public Works Protection Act.  Under the federal Act, the RCMP appeared to have clear authority to construct and control the interior security barrier for the “red zone,” but the Toronto Police Service believed that unless it was somehow delegated power under that legislation, it would have to look elsewhere for incontrovertible legal support to construct and control the exterior security fence.

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  • ex-canuck

    Mr Wherry, another string of words serving no discernible purpose. Why do you scribble this stuff?

    • Thwim

      Because, unlike you who does the same thing, he gets paid for it.

      • Anne Fox

        The RCMP have weasled out for the last time. They knew that a group of anarchists were expected to make trouble. They were in fact awre that saying nothing about it would mean that many peaceful protests would be disrupted and silenced…BONUS!!! and they got to break a few heads on those radical left leaning protest groupies. No I don't get paid for this…How do you like me so far?

        • don

          Well, I too assumed that the RCMP was behind it all. But now it's starting to look what happened on the streets was all the Toronto Police Service's doing. Emails at the time among the various police agencies seem to back that.

  • ex-canuck

    Or do you have a legal or moral obligation to submit somehing every day? I guess so.

    • kcm

      Attendance here is not mandatory.

  • PeteTong

    I think Bill Blair is doing a heck of a job (irrationally defending his officers, misleading the public and being non-chalant about the abuse of civil liberties).

  • Mike T.

    Considering how thoroughly they went beyond their authority, I am surprised they paid any attention to what authority they were actually granted. I suspect it is the difference between the police organizers and the police present at the actual event.

  • Amateur Hour

    Will Harper be held accountable for his choice of Integrity Commissioner?
    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/12/09/auditor…

    Or does singing for the home team drown this out, too?

  • Crit_Reasoning

    Wherry, don't you think this quite the stretch, jurisdictionally speaking?

    As Orson Bean correctly observes, this is an investigation by the Ontario ombudsman into the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services’ conduct in relation to a regulation passed by the Ontario Provincial Legislature (Ontario Regulation 233/10) under the Public Works Protection Act (an Ontario statute).

    You appear to be highlighting an irrelevant detail (federal legislation was considered at some point, then rejected) in an attempt to suggest some sort of federal responsibility for what is clearly a matter of provincial jurisdiction. Seems like pretty thin gruel.

    • kcm
    • brooster2

      It defies common sense to believe that the feds, whose dog and pony show the whole G20 event was, would passively defer to the province on matters of security.

      I think they're quite happy to let the hated Libs in Ontario wear this one…i.e., take the credit for all the alleged successes of the affair while blaming others for the glitches.

      • Mike T.

        Of course. the frog KNOWS this.

        • Crit_Reasoning

          Please stop calling me "the frog". I'd prefer it if you referred to me as "the amphibian".

          • Mike T.

            Just picture it in a Miss Piggy voice.

          • Crit_Reasoning

            Well, since you put it that way… :)

    • wellwell

      C-R: harumph … Liberals to blame … harumph, etc.

  • GavinRB

    Blair is a cop. Cops do what their political masters instruct them to do. Every one of the current crop of political masters, including those who choose to direct indirectly (through the RCMP) has abdicated responsibility and is downloading blame as far down the chain as possible. Which is to be expected. In the words of one, who was asked "what about the little people?" "The little people.are there to spread the blame and take the heat. That's what we pay them for." Protection of our political leadership is paramount.no matter who gets hurt.

  • Emily

    Nobody's ever accountable for anything anymore….in spite of promises.

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