Lawyers From Canada

"I feel that anti-Western sentiment was basically trafficked in Quebec by Trudeau for political gain. And, you know, of course, for me, I would be trying to build up every province across the country as opposed to setting one region against another. I think he did that just because he felt he probably wouldn't do well in the West anyway, so he might as well build on this anti-Western sentiment for his own gain in Quebec."

"Democracies may be more fragile than we care to admit, existing perhaps one election from tyranny. At a time in history when those words blink red in the mind, this investigation shows the dangers of investing government with the power to kill suspected enemies in secret. Jaffer and his team perform a lasting public service by exposing the ‘targeted killing’ policies, and Jaffer’s introductory essay is a much-needed corrective to the linguistic manipulation and official obfuscation that have made these policies possible."

"This is a compelling exposé of the sophisticated and concerted efforts by Obama Administration officials to thoroughly subvert the international rule of law in the pursuit of minor short-term military gains and at the expense of American credibility."

"Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger on Tuesday announced Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU as founding director of the First Amendment Institute, which was created to work to preserve and expand freedoms in the digital age.... “We’re at a moment in our history when freedom of expression, access to information and high quality journalism have never been more important, yet are facing unprecedented challenges,” Bollinger said in a statement. “No one understands that better than Jameel Jaffer. Throughout his accomplished career, Jameel has proven himself to be among the First Amendment’s most effective defenders and we could hardly have a more ideal founding director of the Knight Institute at Columbia.” Jaffer, who joined ACLU nearly 15 years ago, has litigated a number of notable cases involving national security and civil liberties, including constitutional challenges to gag orders under the USA Patriot Act and National Security Agency surveillance."

"Our request was relatively broad because we don’t think the public can meaningfully evaluate the lawfulness of the strike that killed al-Aulaqi and Samir Khan—or the strike that killed 16-year-old Abdulrahman al-Aulaqi two weeks later—without access to the factual basis the government relied on to justify the strikes. We also believe that the public is entitled to records relating to civilian casualties.... Once the Second Circuit remands our case to the district court, the ACLU will almost certainly be litigating not only over the other OLC memos but over this kind of factual information as well."

"Justice Alito’s opinion for the court seems to be based on the theory that the secret court may one day, in some as-yet unimagined case, subject the law to constitutional review, but that day may never come. In many national security cases, the government has prevailed at the outset by citing lack of standing, the state secrets doctrine or officials’ immunity from suit.... More than a decade after 9/11, we still have no judicial ruling on the lawfulness of torture, of extraordinary rendition, of targeted killings or of the warrantless wiretapping program. These programs were all contested in the public sphere, but they have not been contested in the courts.”"

"I am excited about this opportunity to build an organization dedicated to a mission that’s so essential in a free society,” he said in the statement."

"I do think that the decision is important and surprising, a very significant victory for Julian Assange. I think the press freedom implications are more complicated. The judge — while ultimately holding that Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on the basis of his mental health and the conditions under which he would be held if he were extradited here, the judge largely endorses the U.S. prosecution theory. And that theory is based on an indictment that sweeps very, very broadly, that basically the indictment is an effort to hold Assange criminally responsible for acts that journalists engage in all the time. And it doesn’t matter whether Assange himself is properly characterized as a journalist. That may be an important debate, but legally it’s completely irrelevant."

"The important fact is that Assange has been indicted on the grounds that he engaged in activities like cultivating confidential sources, maintaining their confidentiality or maintaining the confidentiality of their identities, and publishing classified secrets. And, of course, those things, all of those things, are integral to national security journalism."

"And the press freedom fear here is that the prosecution of Assange, and even the indictment itself, will deter journalism that is important and necessary and that should be regarded as protected by the First Amendment. And I think that this ruling is, again, a victory for Assange, but insofar as it’s an endorsement of the U.S.’s prosecution theory and of the underlying indictment, I think that that indictment is going to continue to cast a kind of shadow over investigative journalism."

"The sad fact, as Jaffer notes, is that Democrats who protested when George W. Bush claimed broad war powers were quite willing to help Barack Obama claim even broader ones. The result is that the counterproductive, colossally wasteful, deeply unethical, and endlessly expanding ‘war on terror’ has now become a permanent bipartisan fixture of our foreign policy. Jaffer’s introduction is careful and fair—some might say too fair—but it is a devastating indictment of the irresponsible and short-sighted arguments that the Obama administration made in secret memos and then in open court."

"Armed drones have given the United States the power to kill individuals anywhere, even far from conventional battlefields, but the United States has failed to articulate clear limits on their use—let alone subscribe to the limits imposed by international law. As Jaffer’s book makes clear, that failure has grave implications as the technology of killer drones inevitably spreads to other countries."

"President Obama has spoken eloquently about the importance of restoring America’s moral authority abroad. Restoring that moral authority, though, will require restoring the rule of law at home, and restoring the rule of law at home will require finally confronting the gross human rights abuses of the last administration. Crucial to this process will be the creation of a comprehensive and publicly accessible record of the last eight years."

"The criminal code is not an effective instrument an administrative system that is flexible and efficient The blunt instrument of imprisoning someone, putting them through a rigorous criminal trial, is probably not the right answer for enforcing rules against hate speech online in every instance."

"I've written a letter explaining how I do not believe he should be allowed, he's someone that's opposed science, that puts out very dangerous and divisive rhetoric, and is someone that is putting out messages that are discouraging the public health response to this pandemic. I think it would be the wrong thing to do - very much the wrong thing to do, to give him a platform to promote very divisive and hurtful, frankly, uh, messaging that is counter to science, counter to people's health, and that would be a wrong thing to do."

"Psychopathe fasciste"

"It took the Green Party twenty years and six elections to have 1.6% of the vote. We created a party and did that in one year."

"Big business must employ Canadians 99% of the time. That's why we will drastically cut temporary foreign worker visas.The People's Party will never merge or form an alliance with the Fake Conservatives. The CPC are only interested in power, and the Cons and the Libs are the same on the major issue of our time, which is mass immigration.[https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaHousing2/comments/1f46ham/comment/lkk8bl7 A teenager was beheaded in a McDonald's in Calgary by an unhinged criminal who should have never been here. It's a not a right-wing or left-wing thing to screen people properly so that we can be sure only the right people are coming to Canada.housing supply is not the root cause of the crisis. The real cause is demand stemming from mass immigration, which we would end with a moratorium. The federal government is bringing in 100,000 people a month. Nobody can build enough houses for that level of growth. Actually, Statistics Canada says that we must build 700,000 houses a year just to keep up with flood of demand — that's impossible. So, "building more" is not and can never be the solution.[https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaHousing2/comments/1f46ham/comment/lkk4pkd/ What will take years is building more housing. The only real immediate solution to the rent crisis is a moratorium on immigration. The kinds of incentives you're suggesting would fall under municipal and provincial jurisdiction. I just want all of you to remember what it was like in 2020 when immigration was paused, rents were coming down, salaries were going up, and workers were able to negotiate better perks from their employers. Never forget what Sean Fraser did to you with the support of the Conservatives.Many fake colleges in Brampton and Surrey are connected to the Khalistani movement, and the student program has been used as a Trojan horse to bring many people from Punjab here. Just look how many colleges are in this single plaza. On August 31st, this plaza will be the starting point for a car parade in remembrance of a suicide bomber. What is going on with our country, and what kind of education are people getting at these "colleges"? Again, we don't hear anything about this from Poilievre. Both the Liberals and Conservatives say these people are the future of the country.[https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaHousing2/comments/1f46ham/comment/lkk1t3x First, we must deport ALL illegals (criminal trespassers). International students that overstay their visa become illegals just like that guy I spoke with in Charlottetown. We must have a robust screening and interview process for everyone who immigrates to Canada. Canada's male-to-female ratio has been severely negatively affected by Trudeau's mass immigration policy. Second, yes, that's what a real, functional, and pro-Canada immigration policy looks like. It must be to fulfill the needs of our economy first. Provinces can also do a much better job of training apprentices rather than relying on mass immigration.They want to import ethnic voting blocs and it is evident. They pander to a few instead of serving us all. They want to create an indentured servitude class that serves the asset-owning class, that is permanently distracted by surface issues, while ignoring the economic and cultural war that has been declared on them.[https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaHousing2/comments/1f46ham/comment/lkjy8eo"

"The level of climate hysteria keeps increasing. Some want a drastic reduction in consumption. Some call for a green fascist dictatorship. Some say we should stop having babies. Where will this madness stop?!"

"Maybe they want to do that because they’re supporting another party, I think, doing that, they are not doing a favour to their organization. Because it’s not credible. The racist people are not welcome in the party and that won’t change. That’s crazy, I’m not surprised, because our party’s doing very well,"

"Being asked if I will run again for CPC leadership. Zero chance. The party is morally and intellectually corrupt. Scheer was a weak leader who pushed it to the centre. The next leader will do the same. I started a principled conservative alternative. I’m sticking to it."

"How is it possible that Ms. Galipeau know this already? I think I have the answer. Radio-Canada/CBC will produce the debates, so they’re talking to the Commission, and I presume everybody there already knows that I won’t be invited. And she spilled the beans live on TV, probably unintentionally. Under the 2021 rules, I would automatically have been invited, because the PPC received almost 5% of the vote in the last election. But it’s obvious that the Commission changed the rules only to exclude us."

"Every public declaration is tested with polls and focus groups. The result is a bunch of platitudes that don’t offend anybody, but also don’t mean anything and don’t motivate anyone."

"If we want conservative principles to win the battle of ideas, we have to defend them openly, with passion and conviction."

"A lesson from this great novelist: The classical liberal tradition is what made us a free, peaceful and prosperous country. We should cherish it and proudly proclaim the moral high ground when defending this tradition against those who want to impose Big Government upon us."

"Racists are not welcome in this party"

"You know, some people like to call me Mad Max like in the movie. They may believe it’s an insult. But let me tell you something: It’s true. I am mad! I’m mad about government waste! I’m mad about government borrowing money on the backs of future generations, to benefit big corporations! I’M MAD THAT THE LIBERALS ARE RUNNING OUR COUNTRY’S FINANCES, AND OUR NATION’S FUTURE, INTO THE GROUND! I’M MAD THAT THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT SHRINKS OUR PAYCHECK WITH HIGHT TAXES AND TAKES AWAY OUR FREEDOM. I’m mad about the federal government constantly meddling in provincial jurisdictions! I’m mad at politicians who promise anything to get elected! So yes, you can call me Mad Max. I don’t mind! I’m asking you to get mad like me and take your future into your hands."

"I am troubled by your decision to allow the leader of the People's Party of Canada in the debates. It is wrong that Mr. Bernier be given a platform to promote an ideology of hate that spreads prejudice and disinformation. Mr. Bernier has courted racists to run for his party. He frequently promotes damaging conspiracy theories on his social media pages. And he has been photographed with far-right hate groups with neo-Nazi ties."

"Trudeau keeps pushing his “diversity is our strength” slogan. Yes, Canada is a huge and diverse country. This diversity is part of us and should be celebrated. But where do we draw the line? Ethnic, religious, linguistic, sexual and other minorities were unjustly repressed in the past. We’ve done a lot to redress those injustices and give everyone equal rights. Canada is today one of the countries where people have the most freedom to express their identity. But why should we promote ever more diversity? If anything and everything is Canadian, does being Canadian mean something? Shouldn’t we emphasize our cultural traditions, what we have built and have in common, what makes us different from other cultures and societies? Having people live among us who reject basic Western values such as freedom, equality, tolerance and openness doesn’t make us strong. People who refuse to integrate into our society and want to live apart in their ghetto don’t make our society strong. Trudeau’s extreme multiculturalism and cult of diversity will divide us into little tribes that have less and less in common, apart from their dependence on government in Ottawa. These tribes become political clienteles to be bought with taxpayers $ and special privileges. Cultural balkanisation brings distrust, social conflict, and potentially violence, as we are seeing everywhere. It’s time we reverse this trend before the situation gets worse. More diversity will not be our strength, it will destroy what has made us such a great country."

"This title is unacceptably misleading, @CTVNews. I did not criticize “diversity” but rather “more diversity,” and “ever more diversity” as Trudeau is proposing with his radical multiculturalism. Canada has always been a diverse country and this is part of who we are. I love this Canada. But there is a difference between recognizing diversity and pushing for ever more of it. Something infinitely diverse has no core identity and ceases to exist."

"The Conservative Party tries to avoid important but controversial issues of concern to Conservatives and Canadians in general. It is afraid to articulate any coherent philosophy to support its positions."

"Doing identity politics means trying to drum up support by appealing to specific groups on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, language, sexuality or other characteristics, instead of speaking to them as Canadians interested in the wellbeing of our country as a whole. Identity politics has become pervasive and is being practiced by all political parties trying to buy votes. Political debate has degenerated into a contest between different ways of pandering to specific groups instead of appealing to our common interests. I have repeatedly stated that I believe identity politics is reductive, divisive and destructive of our social cohesion. I am doing THE OPPOSITE of identity politics by focusing on policy solutions that concern ALL Canadians. And I will continue to do so."

"Je suis en politique pour défendre des principes. Je l'ai dit dès le début de la campagne, lorsqu'on croit au libre marché, à la liberté économique et qu'on veut défendre les consommateurs, il y a peut-être un prix à payer. Je suis prêt à le payer ce prix politique là."

"Our immigration policy should not aim to forcibly change the cultural character and social fabric of Canada, as radical proponents of multiculturalism want. Of course, society is transformed by immigration. But this has to be done organically and gradually. At too high a level, immigration ceases to be a tool to economically benefit Canadians, and it turns instead into a burden. It becomes essentially a big-government policy of social engineering for ideological and electoral purposes. The vast majority of Canadians rightly expect immigrants to learn about our history and culture, master one of our official languages, and adopt widely shared Canadian values. Instead of spending M$ on multiculturalism programs, we should focus on integration."

"During the final months of the campaign, as polls indicated that I had a real chance of becoming the next leader, opposition from the supply management lobby gathered speed. Radio-Canada reported on dairy farmers who were busy selling Conservative Party memberships across Quebec. A Facebook page called Les amis de la gestion de l’offre et des régions (Friends of supply management and regions) was set up and had gathered more than 10,500 members by early May. As members started receiving their ballots by mail from the party, its creator, Jacques Roy, asked them to vote for Andrew Scheer. Andrew, along with several other candidates, was then busy touring Quebec’s agricultural belt, including my own riding of Beauce, to pick up support from these fake Conservatives, only interested in blocking my candidacy and protecting their privileges. Interestingly, one year later, most of them have not renewed their memberships and are not members of the party anymore. During these last months of the campaign, the number of members in Quebec had increased considerably, from about 6,000 to more than 16,000. In April 2018, according to my estimates, we are down to about 6,000 again. A few days after the vote, Éric Grenier, a political analyst at the CBC, calculated that if only 66 voters in a few key ridings had voted differently, I could have won. The points system, by which every riding in the country represented 100 points regardless of the number of members they had, gave outsized importance in the vote to a handful of ridings with few members. Of course, a lot more than 66 supply management farmers voted, likely thousands of them in Quebec, Ontario, and the other provinces. I even lost my riding of Beauce by 51% to 49%, the same proportion as the national vote. At the annual press gallery dinner in Ottawa a few days after the vote, a gala where personalities make fun of political events of the past year, Andrew was said to have gotten the most laughs when he declared: “I certainly don’t owe my leadership victory to anybody…”, stopping in mid-sentence to take a swig of 2% milk from the carton. “It’s a high quality drink and it’s affordable too.” Of course, it was so funny because everybody in the room knew that was precisely why he got elected. He did what he thought he had to do to get the most votes, and that is fair game in a democratic system. But this also helps explain why so many people are so cynical about politics, and with good reason."

"I still cannot understand how a party that is supposed to defend free markets supports a small cartel that artificially increases the price of milk, chicken and eggs for millions of Canadian consumers."

"Sunrise, the first gift in the world. Promise and healing after the hard transit of night. After a darkness beset with beasts—imagined and real—and inner fears, and untamed, violent men. After sightlessness that could lead one astray into ditch or bog or over a cliff, or into the clutch and sway of whatever spirits might be a broad, bent on malice. Morning’s pale light had offered an end to such fears for centuries, millennia, whatever dangers might come with the day. Shutters were banged open, curtains drawn, shop doors and windows were unlocked, city gates unbarred, swung wide, as men and women made their way out into the offered day. On the other hand (in life there was almost always another hand), daylight meant that intimacy, privacy, escape from the unwanted gaze, silence for meditation, the solace of unseen tears on a pillow—or of secret love on that same pillow before, or after—were so much harder to claim. Rarer coinage, in the clear light."

"His choice here, no one else to blame. Sometimes, he thought, life was easier when you had people to stop you. Maybe that was something parents were good for."

"But knowledge, however you got it, changed things, Ned Marriner thought. You couldn’t go back to not knowing, even if you wanted to."

"“But why would they attack us? What have you been doing here, Ned?” “Why would who attack us?” “Wolves.” “What? No way. Wolves are mostly vegetarian. I learned that in school last year.” “Then tell these to go find the salad bar,” said Aunt Kim, grimly."

"In this world, where we find ourselves, we need compassion more than anything, I think, or we are all alone."

"We’ll fall off that bridge when we cross it."

"It was true, it was all true. But none of it was the truth."

"Words were power, words tried to change you, to shape bridges of longing that no one could ever really cross."

"Devin had never trusted the priests of Eanna in his whole life. They were too shrewd, by far the most subtle of the clergy, by far the most apt to steer events to their own ends, which might lie out of sight, generations away. Servants of a goddess, he supposed, might find it easier to take the longer view of things. But everyone knew that all across the peninsula the clergy of the Triad had their own triple understanding with the Tyrants from abroad: their collective silence, their tacit complicity, bought in exchange for being allowed to preserve the rites that mattered more to them, it seemed, than freedom in the Palm."

"Home was a dream she’d had yesterday. A place where children used to play. Among towers near the mountains, by a river, on curving sweeps of white or golden sand beside a palace at the edge of the sea."

"There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk."

"“The Tyrants have cleaned out most of the highway brigands. Just a matter of protecting their own interests. They want to make sure no one else robs us before they do with their border tariffs and taxes.” He spat, discreetly, into the dust of the road. “Personally I preferred the brigands. There were ways of dealing with them.”"

"I suppose being right will have to compensate me for being poor—the story of my life, I fear."

"Music trains the mind, like mathematics, or logic, to precision of mind."