Canada Free Press -- ARCHIVES

Because without America, there is no free world.

Return to Canada Free Press

EDITORIAL

Culture of corruption replaced by cop bashing


November 4, 2002

If there’s one thing the Toronto Star’s police profiling controversy achieves for Toronto City Council, it’s diversion.

November 1, 2002 officially marks election year for November 2003’s municipal elections and council is in campaign mode.

On Nov. 1, the "culture of corruption" identified by some city councillors we thought were sincere has been conveniently replaced by police profiling.

The culture of corruption is the fall out of the alleged MFP Financial Services Ltd./Toronto City Hall $80-million computer scandal--still under investigation. Before council jumped into finger pointing at the police, its outrageous computer scandal was getting the lion’s share of mainline media attention. There was also the alleged $4-million telephone scandal, unearthed by Toronto Free Press in 2001.

As TFP has editorialized in past issues, if there are scandals involving computers and telephone contracts at Toronto City Hall, taxpayers can depend on them being just the tip of the iceberg.

Quick to wade into the race-crime controversy, councillors were demanding the attendance of Police Chief Julian Fantino at their regular session where a motion from Diversity Advocate and Chair, Race and Ethnic Relations Committee Coun. Sherene Shaw was being debated.

Shaw, one of those councillors who can usually be found on the golf course during Federation of Canadian Municipalities gatherings in exotic locations like Banff, has done little to distinguish herself as Toronto council’s Diversity Advocate. When she was council’s representative to the Police Services Board, where she was in as position to advocate for significant change in police policy, she voluntarily abandoned the playing field.

Meanwhile, Fantino, who reportedly had scheduling problems, was a council no-show. Councillors heard instead from Oscar-winning film star Lou Gossett. The sincere and well-meaning Gossett, who addressed councillors at the request of Mayor Mel Lastman, had the honesty to admit he could mot comment specifically on whether black youths are victims of racial profiling by Toronto police, although he said it clearly exists in Los Angeles.

Reality dictates, however that is Toronto and environs and not Los Angeles over which city councillors have jurisdiction.

The intent of the race-crime council debate was to have the province change legislation that lets police investigate civilian complaints against officers.

Like the Star, which seems by and large to endorse left wing, anti-police councillors come every municipal election time, councillors toss statistics around with incredible ease.

Shaw’s motion--adopted unanimously by councillors--contends that members of the public at large do not "for the most part" view the complaint process to be impartial or fair.

At no time during this long debate was there any reference to the four young black men who lost their lives in a violent spree of gunfire last last month, or any concern displayed that the tragic weekend was recorded as the worst in terms of gun violence in our city’s entire history.

Indeed the silence that is the aftermath of the deaths of the four young black men gunned down in a city that prides itself for its crime record has been deafening.

Trying to politicize police by portraying them as deliberate racial profilers does nothing more than fan the fires of existing racial unrest.

Diverting public attention away from multi-million dollar scandals in an election year by getting behind a major newspaper which, in essence assassinates the character of an entire police force, is a shameful abuse of authority.


Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement