Canadian Justice For Political Prisoners – Letter To The Provincial Government

From thelawdictionary.org –

Three Features of a Kangaroo Court

‘Court proceedings that lack the due process protections people associate with courts of law have earned the name “kangaroo court.” The term has been in use since at least the 19th century, but it is difficult to pinpoint an exact source for it or to determine why its name includes a reference to an animal native to Australia.

As a general rule, a kangaroo court is any proceeding that attempts to imitate a fair trial or hearing without the usual due process safeguards including the right to call witnesses, the right to confront your accuser and a hearing before a fair and impartial judge. Kangaroo court proceedings are usually a sham carried out without legal authority in which the outcome has been predetermined without regard to the evidence or to the guilt or innocence of the accused.’

From: Al Neitsch
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2024 11:25:22 AM
To: ministryofjustice@gov.ab.ca <ministryofjustice@gov.ab.ca>
Cc: Danielle Smith <danielle@daniellesmith.ca>; Blake Richards – Member of Parliament <blake@blakerichards.ca>; Airdrie-Cochrane <Airdrie.Cochrane@assembly.ab.ca>; Airdrie-East <airdrie.east@assembly.ab.ca>

Subject: Canadian Justice

To Albertans and Canadians,

Until recently, I never really thought about living anywhere else but Alberta, Canada. I was born here. I made my life here, went to school, worked, raised a family and went about the business of making a living and finding reward and meaning in life with the hopes of retiring in good health – like everyone else I’m sure. Many of us carried on thinking that if we worked hard, paid our taxes and obeyed our laws we would be able help build a future for ourselves and our families. We rarely, if ever, gave any thought to what underpinned our ability to live in relative peace and prosperity, free of the oppression, poverty and tyranny of third world, ‘banana republic’ dictatorships and free from the constant wars being fought elsewhere. We never really gave thought to The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and how this important and sometimes proven flawed document possibly had something to do with whether we lived in peace and prosperity or not.

  It was the fundamentally surreal and tragic actions and consequences of the COVID pandemic response that sparked interest in ‘The Charter’ and how our rights and freedoms came under attack without due process or consideration. Many Canadians continue to be harmed from the health and judicial fallout of the mandates imposed that were meant to keep us safe. And this wasn’t just a public health and safety matter to be considered, was it? It very quickly turned into a challenge to whether or not the state could legally mandate and enforce health measures and infringements and denial of our charter rights, even when and if an ‘emergency’ proclamation was proven and justified or not.

  The best and most thorough examination of Canada’s COVID experience was conducted and published by the National Citizens Inquiry. The overreaching theme of the facts and experiences presented was that the COVID response gave rise to the greatest violation of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ever experienced in Canadian history. That this documented history of our mostly ‘shared’ experience is not being acknowledged is troubling.

  Given that the invocation of ‘The Emergencies Act’ was recently judged to be unreasonable and unconstitutional, why is justice still being denied to Christopher Carbert, Anthony Olienick, Jerry Morin, and Christopher Lysak? The Charter promises that ‘Every Canadian is equal before and under the law’ and that ‘No Canadian will be targeted by the Justice system for their personal beliefs’. There is a very apparent double standard and politicization in the cases against these four Albertans. While the allegations are serious, they are no more serious than other cases where due process has been applied – even where violent crimes including murder have been alleged.

  Why have these men been denied bail? Why are they being held for more than 700 days in ‘Remand’ under inhuman conditions? In a just society, punishment or sentencing should only be meted out after a determination of guilt. Why did the RCMP widely publicize the charges and their alleged evidence against the accused in lockstep with the invocation of the ‘Emergencies Act’? Why is ‘The Crown’ able to engage in delay tactics and secrecy that escalate the financial, personal, societal and human costs to the accused and to the public?

  The government of Alberta has an obligation and a fundamental, existential need to regain the publics trust in our vital judicial and healthcare systems. If Alberta is to be a positive exception to the trajectory of harms and injustices being committed elsewhere in this country and the world, at least this injustice being committed against these four men should be addressed and remedied. If this is allowed to happen to them, it could happen to any of us. For our government to ignore this appeal and not respond with transparency will be a continuation of the harms that occurred to so many. The silence and lack of transparency and accountability on these matters will tell us everything we need to know.

Sincerely, With Others,

Al Neitsch

Airdrie, Alberta