In the U.S., Democrats in the House of Representatives are desperately struggling to prove that President Donald Trump has engaged in the obstruction of justice. Why?
Simple – obstruction of justice is defined as a “high crime and misdemeanour,” a claim that – if proven – can lead quickly to the impeachment of the president.
In Canada, testimony from the former attorney general of Canada has clearly already shown that our prime minister actively engaged in the obstruction of justice over the SNC-Lavalin legal case, and the actions of the prime minister and his advisers is a criminal act as defined in Canada’s Criminal Code. Yet there is little talk about “impeaching” the prime minister.
The reason is simple: Canada’s parliamentary form of government is vastly different than the U.S. “Republican” form of government, and Canada has no provisions for impeaching a prime minister.
Of course, a moral and ethical leader does not need to wait for impeachment – they can decide, on their own, that their actions are not acceptable and simply resign. To do so, however, requires a moral and ethical leader, and the current leader we have is certainly not characterized by these two adjectives. Instead, he hangs on, knowing that his Liberal stooges do not have the ethics or character to demand his resignation, and if it’s true that “time heals all wounds,” then he hopes that this incident will eventually be forgotten by the voting public.
Normally, we rely on the media to keep reminding the Canadian public when a travesty of justice has occurred, and ensuring Canadians do not forget.
Unfortunately, it appears that most Canadian media is also in the pocket of the Liberal Party of Canada, so we can assume the media will not do their job, either.
Ultimately, we are faced with a prime minister who will not do his duty, the prime minister’s advisers who will not do their duty, a group of Liberal MPs who will not do their duty, a Liberal Party of Canada that will not do its duty and a national media that will not do its duty. This refusal to do the collective duty reminds me of the old saying: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is what we are faced with in Canada, today. Therefore, the job at hand falls to the average Canadian, to ensure we keep this crime “alive” and at the forefront of every Canadian’s memory.
We, the people of Canada, must accept this duty, and do this duty. If not, then there is no one left.
How do we begin? There are many ways – I will list the ideas I have – if you have suggestions, write to the Gazette and provide your suggestions – together we can do this. My suggestions: write letters to newspapers, and magazines. Phone your member of Parliament and insist he or she keep raising this in the House of Commons. Phone your MLA and insist he or she keep raising this issue in the provincial legislature. Call in to radio talk shows and remind the moderator that you are a Canadian, doing your duty, and insisting the prime minister and his associated criminals leave the government. Talk to a veteran – they are experts at keeping their duty and ask for their suggestions.
Keep the pressure on, until Justin becomes Just Out.
Brian McLeod is a St. Albert resident.
