By MPP Toby Barrett
The only inquiry into the mayhem that occurred in Caledonia has not come from government. It has come from journalist Christie Blatchford’s investigative piece: HELPLESS, Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us.
Christie Blatchford is real – she’s tough – and as anyone who reads her newspaper columns knows, she’s a no-nonsense and tell-it-like-it-is gal.
The publisher’s note in ‘HELPLESS’ describes her, “uncompromising sense of right and wrong, Christie Blatchford covered the recent years of the occupation as it moved to the courts, interviewed those who were there throughout, and poured over dozens and dozens of boxes of documents. The result is a book that will shock Canadians who think they know their country.”
About a month ago, protestors prevented Blatchford from speaking at the University of Waterloo. They referred to her as racist as they carried a swastika across the stage.
There is nothing racist about Blatchford or her book about the on-going land occupation in Caledonia. As she says, “What HELPLESS is about is the failure of government to govern and to protect all its citizens equally.”
During Question Period this fall, I asked Premier McGuinty, “What more evidence will it take for you to understand the impact that your failure of leadership has for Ontario families?”
“Don’t take it from me; Christie Blatchford’s new book charges that you abandoned the rule of law in Caledonia by favouring some citizens over others. While you said you don’t interfere with the police, she cites examples of political meddling by your office that has hamstrung police and put abstract ideology ahead of protecting victims from intimidation, home invasion and assault. Caledonia families detail four years of suffering that you condone, with no end in sight.”
Mr. McGuinty passed the ball to Attorney General Chris Bentley who responded, “I’m looking forward to working with the new mayors and councils and Six Nations to find a very important resolution”