In an odd display of twisted priorities, Canada’s Attorney General may start investigating the Canadian blogosphere to find bloggers who have linked back to CQ and broken the publication ban:
CANADA’S attorney general is probing possible breaches of a publication ban set up to protect explosive testimony at the AdScam inquiry. Justice spokesman Patrick Charette said federal lawyers are looking into the Internet sites reproducing excerpts of Montreal ad exec Jean Brault’s testimony and providing a link to a U.S. blog featuring more extensive coverage of the hearing.
“We have to decide what the best course of action is,” Charette said, adding federal lawyers could charge Canadian bloggers and website owners with contempt of court or suggest AdScam Justice John Gomery issue warning letters.
So instead of chasing down felons or prosecuting violent criminals, or perhaps investigating government corruption, the AG intends to start delivering contempt citations … or even sillier, warning letters. For what? Writing about testimony to which their politicians have complete access and the media can watch but not report.
Don’t get me wrong; American AGs often have their own screwed-up priorities, too. It just seems to me that prosecuting Canadian bloggers for creating a hyperlink to my site realistically ranks rather low on the threat level for most Canadians. However, perhaps the chilling effect on Canadian bloggers from this government intimidation should be taken as an ominous sign about the future of free speech in Canada by all of its citizens.
UPDATE: People keep asking me if I worry about the Canadian government cracking down on my blog. Not with these guys on my side, I don’t…
Operation Canadian Freedom
More Canadian timidity here from the Meatriarchy… *Homer voice* ummm, meeeeat */Homer Voice*… It looks like the AG is going to decide whether to prosecute the canadian bloggers. Their timidity is going to kill them. Talk about trying to get the t…
Canada’s Attorney General would RATHER Prosecute B
Captain Ed at Captain’s Quarters has this story about the Canadian Attorney General’s propensity to go after bloggers and enforce the Canadian publication ban rather than investigate felonious conduct in his own administration. Federal lawyers are co…
The Dictatorship we call Canada
If major newspapers, like the Globe and Mail can utter the name of the American blogger who broke the story, how can the bloggers who publish excerpts or the url to CQ still face censure? Typing in the words ‘captain ed morrissey’ into google – all …
The Canadian government….
….has a weird way of dealing with the truth — they’d like to nip it in the bud.
Canada’s Liberals Deep in Corruption
This really stinks badly! Here’s brief time-line:
Gomery commission commissioned to probe Liberal corruption
Publication ban issued
Blogs: Silenced! Charged!
Captain’s Quarters (one of my favorite blogs) does an extensive write-up. CQ is down rig…
No Worries
As you probably already know, Captain Ed is kicking ass and taking names on the subject of the AdScam scandal currently going on up north in Canada. Now, I tried to log into CQ before going to work yesterday to…
ADSCAM: Oh, Canada!
Canada’s Attorney General is now determining how to go about cracking down on bloggers: So instead of chasing down felons or prosecuting violent criminals, or perhaps investigating government corruption, the AG intends to start delivering contempt cita…
Captain’s Mess
So Canada doesn’t want bloggers linking to Captain’s Quarters? But can they link to Captain’s Mess? UPDATE: Canada bloggers can’t link to a site with info on the scandal. But can they link to sites that link to sites with