Caledonia May Bite McGuinty in the Hind-quarters …
September 16, 2007… and well it should.
For the Liberals, this is the exact wrong time for a flare-up of the situation in Caledonia. Media references to this debacle have been rare lately, but due to a very unfortunate incident on Thursday, Caledonia may become an important voting issue in this election.
Sam Gualtieri, was attacked by native youths in a house he was building for his daughter, several kilometers away from the protest site in Caledonia.
He is now in serious condition, drifting in and out of consciousness. His brother Joe says he believes Sam was one strike away from being murdered. He also says he expects Dalton McGuinty to bear some responsibility for the attack.
The Globe and Mail reports that Joe Gualtieri said Ontario Provincial Police officers on the site “stood there, and they did not intervene” until after the beating, when the attackers had fled.
If this story has legs, and the media decides it likes Joe Gualtieri, then I predict that Caledonia will be McGuinty’s inverted Ipperwash.
I think that there should be an investigation to determine to what extent that Dalton McGuinty has influenced the OPP to prevent them from enforcing the law in Caledonia.
Six Nations Chief, Allen MacNaughton has said “We cannot condone the violent actions of a few.” Not condoning something is a few steps short of condemning it. Also, it remains to be seen how co-operative Six Nations authorities will be in terms of identifying the assailants.
McGuinty was very quick to lash out at the federal government, saying that they need to do what is necessary to resolve the dispute.
The last time I checked, the OPP is responsible for policing Caledonia. If someone is trespassing on someone else’s land, it is up to the OPP to arrest that person. The owner of the land is the person whose name is on the deed. Any outstanding issues between the Canadian government and the aboriginal community are not relevant. The courts are the proper place to sort that out. By refusing to enforce the law in this situation, the OPP has exceeded its authority by interjecting itself into the land claims resolution process. It is that simple.
Due to the fact people of a different race would never get away with these sorts of actions, Caledonia is an example of the fact that there is no equality under the law in McGuinty’s Ontario.
“Any outstanding issues between the Canadian government and the aboriginal community are not relevant.”
The OPP uphold everyone’s Constitutional rights first.
So yes, the assertion of land rights is relevant.
It is also relevant that the OPP had closed the site. Builders knew they were not to be on the site.
It is also wise to look at the other side’s version of events.
“The older youth walked in and found Sam Gualtieri had his young brother against the wall with a bar pressed across his throat, ready to kill him. He grabbed whatever he could find to save his young brother.”
I agree that it will bite McGuinty, but I don’t think it will benefit Tory. Hampton is the only one who has addresses the issue of government consultation about land uses. I don’t think this will tip the election any particular way.
Saga, when you say: “The OPP uphold everyone’s Constitutional rights first. So yes, the assertion of land rights is relevant”, do you mean that the OPP should be deciding the merits of the Land Claim? Is that their job? Remember, just because land has been claimed doesn’t mean it has been legitimately claimed. That is why we have a court system.
You say: “It is also wise to look at the other side’s version of events.” In all versions, there were several native youths in an altercation with an elderly gentleman in a house that he owns. So, what is your point?
Hi Bob,
1. Thanks for your comment on VoiceofCanada. I should have it up tonight or first thing in the morning once I catch up. I came here to read your post, and just had to comment on it while I was here.
2. I really enjoyed this post because you are, to the best of our knowledge, the first to predict that Caledonia could take down McGuinty.
You are right, of course, when you say that the OPP is responsible for policing. The Ipperwash Papers (www.ipperwashpapers.ca) has a bunch of letters from the Deputy Prime Minister’s office on down telling local politicians and residents – who were begging for federal help – that policing is a provincial matter and that they should direct their concerns to the local OPP detachment, the same guys who weren’t enforcing the law in Ipperwash any more than they are in Caledonia.
3. If you really want to see how bad Caledonia/Ipperwash could get for McGuinty, check out http://voiceofcanada.wordpress.com/2007/09/19/is-suffering-of-innocent-people-worth-covering-up-so-dalton-can-have-4-more-years/ It talks about how McGuinty’s Inquiry covered up all evidence of the suffering of residents in Ipperwash and is now using the Inquiry to justify his ‘hands off’ policies in Caledonia. Every politician of every stripe – including Liberals – should be concerned about this.
4. Just a tip. I see you’ve got a few comments by ‘Saga.’ She is a rabid supporter and historical revisionist for those who have used violence to terrorize Caledonia, and she’ll tell you 17 reasons why the sky is really green even as you’re looking up at it. She doesn’t write to us anymore because we won’t waste our time responding to her nonsense. Still, if you’ve got nothing better to do, and you’re a bit of a masochist…you might enjoy it!
5. I can’t find a permalink for this story to link to, so would it be OK if I reprinted it on VoC and credited to bobkismet.com with a link? You can contact me at info@voiceofcanada.ca.
6. I told Gary McHale at CaledoniaWakeUpCall.com about this post, and I think he’d like to post or link to it as well.
Thanks for writing this.
Mark Vandermaas, Editor
VoiceofCanada
Lead Investigator – The Ipperwash Papers
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce