Wednesday, November 22, 2017

An open letter to the YWN Can. Post BOR

An open Letter
Nov. 22, 2017

In the matter of Interim Prohibitory Orders issued against Leroy St. Germaine, Lawrence Victor St. Germaine and Dr. James Sears and Your Ward News.

To the Board of Review

    It has become clear that the Board of Review is attempting to sweep this whole matter under the carpet, No less than a week after the board sent out a communique on the Constitutional issues, the Liberal government follows up with charges of hate crimes against the newspaper!
    As recently as October 19, 2017, David Hopkinson, a media relations spokesman for the Toronto Police, told the media “We get complaints about the publication all the time. Every time, we investigate. Every time, we take this quite seriously.”  To date, he added, “it is determined not to be a hate crime.”

    In January 2017, Toronto Police spokesman Mark Pugash said “The law is clear. It has to balance, as all things do, freedom of speech with speech that is considered beyond the bounds of free speech, ... Our investigators have done this for a while. They know what is required, they’re good at what they do. If there is sufficient evidence they then go to the next step.”  The article then stated "A previous police investigation into the content of Your Ward News found NO LAWS WERE VIOLATED."

    How can they BACKDATE the charges to the March 2015 issue?  The timing is highly suspicious.  Warrants issued for the arrests of the Editor and Publisher a few days after a decision from the Board of Review basically stated that no evidence of hate speech was provided by Minster Foote?

    Now at the request of Warren Kinsella and Richard Warman the Board is seriously considering suspending these hearings until these trumped up hate charges are dealt with? Since when did the opinions of Kinsella and Warman have more merit than anybody else given standing at this farce of a hearing? Also why is this board moving so quickly to consider suspending these hearings when it has done nothing but drag its feet and draw out these proceedings as long as it possibly could over the last year?

    Over the past year I have received numerous e-mails from concerned Canadians who believe that the decision to suspend the mailing privileges of Your Ward News was a politically motivated decision due to our exposing of Liberal party corruption both federally and provincially. It is becoming clear to the general public that Liberal party insiders such as the Kinsellas and Richard Warman are orchestrating a Witch Hunt, manipulated Federal MP Judy Foote into taking the action she did and that you, The Board of Review seem to be playing right along.

    The fact that the government of Canada has even made these decisions is a travesty of Justice and a blow to freedom of speech and freedom of the press for all Canadians. I warn you all right now the country is watching what you are doing and the decisions of this Board of Review will be talked about for years to come. These charges that have been laid are not an excuse for you to just take the money and run. This is not an easy out for you no matter what Warren Kinsella and Richard Warman are suggesting. You three must now ask yourselves which side of history you wish to come down on, the side of free speech and freedom of the press or that of back room corrupt crony politics?

    My suggestion is you continue with this hearing without delay and make your recommendations to the minister before these charges come to court to avoid the appearance of collusion and bias on your part.

Lawrence McCurry
Staff writer for Your Ward News