02.09.2013 08:31 PM

In Sunday’s Sun: Diamond Jubilee disgrace

The Queen is no joke. The Diamond Jubilee medals minted to commemorate her 60th year on the throne, however, are.

They’re more than that, in fact: They are a disgrace. And the manner in which they have been handed out is a bona fide scandal, and one deserving of further investigation. Some background, first.

The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, as it is officially known, was “a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.”

Note the phrase, “significant contributions and achievements.” Nearly 60,000 Canadians would receive the shiny silver medals, the governor general said last year. To do so, one needed to be Canadian, have a pulse, and have made — again, that key requirement — “significant contributions and achievements.”

The distribution of the medals was ultimately determined by the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. They won’t say much about what they did to tarnish what should have been a wonderful idea. But tarnish it they did.

For example: A short while ago, the prime minister made certain to give a Diamond Jubilee medal to Jenni Byrne, his party’s campaign manager. (She was in the news again this week, when a Conservative MP stated the buck stopped with Byrne for what he called “deceptive” robocalls recently made in Saskatchewan). What were Byrne’s “significant contributions and achievements,” apart from helping to elect her boss? Hard to say say. No one’s talking.

There’s more. A box of the medals were given to REAL Women of Canada to hand out, like concession stand tokens. Among other things, REAL Women is a group that calls the “homosexual lobby” a “threat” to Canada, and which formerly had a director named Rita Anne Hartmann. As revealed in the Toronto Sun many years ago, Hartmann’s family had extensive involvement with both the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazi Heritage Front. REAL Women, meanwhile, has never disavowed their association with Hartmann. Why did they get medals? Again, who knows.

Gary McHale got one, too, in a ceremony earlier this month in Toronto. McHale is an Ontario anti-Native, anti-police activist who has spent time in jail for his misadventures. What’s his “significant contribution” to Canada? No one knows. No one will say.

Out west, a Conservative MP gave medals to a couple of convicted criminals. Out of the 30 medals MP Maurice Vellacott received, one was received by an anti-abortion fanatic, Mary Wagner, who happened to be in jail at the time. Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson, who theoretically oversees the legal system that put Wagner in jail, was asked how such a thing could happen. Ask Vellacott, he said. No one seems to know much, or care.

In London, as the Free Press revealed, a former municipal politician who has been convicted of municipal corruption got a medal, as well. George Avola was honoured this week by Mayor Joe Fontana — who himself is awaiting trial on charges of fraud, uttering forged documents and breach of trust by a public official. How could such a thing happen? Again: No one knows.

It goes on. Separatists. Bankers. Right-wing lobbyists. Murky religious groups aligned with the ruling Conservatives. All have received medals, for no apparent reason. If all of this enrages you, as it does me, take heart. Canada still has leaders like Raye-Anne Briscoe, mayor of Admaston/Bromley, in Renfrew County near Ottawa. A few days ago, Briscoe got a Diamond Jubilee medal from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. She sent it back.

“I am returning this medal,” Briscoe wrote to the federation, “as I am utterly shocked, taken aback and insulted that (you) would make a ‘blanket’ distribution of this honour with a letter that would lead one to believe that they had actually been individually selected.”

It was a “sad and disappointing decision,” Briscoe said. And it was a decision that had “devalued the coinage of the realm.”

Canada needs more Raye-Anne Briscoes.

It doesn’t need the damned Diamond Jubilee medals, however.

UPDATE: on reflection, I have deleted some angry comments I made about Gary McHale which contained cursing. I sincerely apologize to McHale. (I’m going curseless for Lent.) The curse-free question I asked of him I still have, however: why did he not bar the National Alliance and the likes of Paul Fromm from attending his “Freedom” marches? Why won’t he condemn them? He says he is no extremist – and I take him at his word. So why did he not bar extremists when they appeared at his event?

53 Comments

  1. frmr disgruntled Con now Happy Lib says:

    There were a number of people awarded in my community who I believe were most deserving of the diamond jubilee medal……one person, however, who was nominated and presented the award, actually wrote the nomination letter himself, and then had a friend act as his nominator……His actions debased the whole award process, imho……

  2. smelter rat says:

    Great column. I couldn’t agree more. I know there are some very deserving nominees, but the whole process has been bastardized to the point where it’s become a dad oke, but a stellar representation of where things are at in Harperland.

  3. Gary McHale says:

    Interesting how Mr. Kinsella lied to the public about why I received a medal. Another Sun media outlet already reported the reasons – http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2013/01/28/mchale-to-receive-jubilee-medal

    Mr. Kinsella is just angry that I exposed his friend McGuinty.

    I am not anti-Native or anti-Police – just against McGuinty corrupting the OPP. But hey, it isn’t Mr. Kinsella’s family being terrorized while the OPP stand by and watch.

    • smelter rat says:

      Heh. Apparently a nerve has been touched.

      • Gary McHale says:

        Acturally the fact that Mr. Kinsella felt the need to include me in his column demActually, the fact that Mr. Kinsella felt the need to include me in his column demonstrates that my receiving the medal has bugged McGuinty and his friends. The fact that Mr. Kinsella had to lie in his column when he said, “No one knows. No one will say.” demonstrate just how much McGuinty wants his history covered up.

        Since almost everyone at SunTV has supported what we do, are we to believe Mr. Kinsella is saying that Coren, Lilley, Menzies and Levant are also anti-Native and anti-police or just the people who have made McGuinty look bad for his support of racial policing?

        Of course one day there will be a public inquiry into Caledonia and McGuinty’s racial policing policies will be exposed for all to see.

        Are we to believe Mr. Kinsella doesn’t support the equality of all Canadians? Does he support free speech and freedom of assembly for every individual Canadian or just for the political correct groups? Maybe Mr. Kinsella can state exactly what special rights he wants certain groups to have.

        Most Canadians hold to the view that every individual person has equality benefit and equal protections of the law – something I believed Mr. Kinsella stood for but I guess I was wrong.
        onstrates that me receiving the medal has bugged McGuinty and his friends.

        • Michael Bussiere says:

          I’ll try again. Mr. McHale, how is adopting a hands-off approach and allowing the OPP to determine how to best deal with a situation corrupting the OPP?Please state your professional experience with policing and public policy relating to policing.

          • Gary McHale says:

            Please state why you think all the judges are wrong – here is just one ruling – maybe you can explain why this Superior Court Judge is wrong. The OPP doesn’t have a hands-off approach – their approach is simply to arrest non-Native property owners in order to ensure Natives can continue to commit crimes. Read these paragraphs of one ruling:

            [29] The remaining defendants’ resort to self-help, taken with the authorities’ refusal to defend the plaintiff’s property rights, has put the plaintiff in a most unfair position. The same government that advises the plaintiff not to pay extra-governmental development fees refuses to enforce its property rights and threatens to arrest its agents if they try to enforce these rights on their own.

            [30.2] The police have the right to use their discretion in the enforcement of the law and private property rights. A blanket refusal to assist a property owner or a class of property owners, however, would be an abuse of that right.

            [30.3] The police have no right to prevent the plaintiffs from acting within their rights under s.41 of the Criminal Code. Their warning to the plaintiff that they would arrest anyone who is involved in a physical confrontation, regardless of the circumstances, is an abuse of the power conferred on them by s.31 of the Criminal Code.

          • Michael Bussiere says:

            I didn’t say the judges are all wrong. I want to know how it is corruption between McGuinty and the OPP?

    • Michael Bussiere says:

      My father was a deputy police chief, and he earned that rank over 32 years and by experience. Please state your experience with policing and public policy relating to policing. Mr. McHale, how is adopting a hands-off approach and allowing the OPP to determine how to best deal with a situation corrupting the OPP?

      • Gary McHale says:

        Because every court has repeatedly rebuked the OPP – maybe if you read the rulings you would be more educated on the issues.

        The real question is what would you say if it was your wife or child that was being assaulted and put in the hospital while the OPP stood there and refused to help when you asked them? Maybe if someone in your family was almost killed and now disabled you would care more about your fellow Canadian.

        Since when if kidnapping, putting a knife to the throat of government officials, destroying the power station, attempted murder, stopping all vehicle and body searching people, setting numerous fires, putting 60 officers in the hospital, assaulting numerous residents, pulling guns on the fire department and endless harassment put of a Canada that you believe in?

        Do you really think OPP officers should stand by and allow Native thugs to put a knife to USA border guard’s throat and then simply allow them to steal the OPP vehicle and drive away without a single officer taking any steps to help their fellow officers or to arrest anyone?

        BTW: There were a dozen officers and only 3 Natives when this event occurred so why can such serious crimes occur and officers do nothing?

        Would you allow this in your neighbourhood?

        BTW: Some of our biggest supporters are Police – they donate money to the cause.

        • Michael Bussiere says:

          I appreciate the facts.The courts have rebuked the OPP. I want to know how McGuinty allowing the OPP to make those decisions, which is their rightful jurisdiction and well within their professional expertise, tantamount to corruption?

          • Michael Bussiere says:

            You know what? Here’s your answer. There was no corruption on the part of the Premier. The Premier knows that it is not within the powers of a politician to order the police to conduct any action. A judge recently rebuked the OPP with respect to a Via Rail blockage, but it was a rebuke. The police and the judiciary are politically independent in a modern state. For it to be otherwise would be tantamount to fascism. You know, neo-nazi?
            So if you have an accusation of corruption within the OPP and the Premier’s office then make it, and make it legally.
            I appreciate your anger, and for your information I did almost have a family member killed and disabled in the line of duty. My father. But my father would have been the last person to advocate political interference in a policing matter, no matter how difficult it might have been for angry hateful fucks to understand.

          • Gary McHale says:

            Maybe you should read the Ontario Police Service Act – all democratic countries have elected politicians as head of police forces and military.

            The head of the OPP isn’t the Commissioner but the Minister of Community Safety who by law is required to ensure all police forces uphold the Law. Notice how the Police Service Act doesn’t tell officers to have a hands off approach to policing.

            By law all officer are required to help victims of crimes, to make arrest, to aid in the prosecution of those charged etc. Do you think it is legal if an officer refused to testify in court because he claimed he wants to have a hands off approach to policing? You cannot pick which laws you like. The law requires officers to help victims and make arrest.

            Which part of this law do you disagree with?

          • Michael Bussiere says:

            Again, I want to know how McGuinty allowing the OPP to make those decisions, which is their rightful jurisdiction and well within their professional expertise, tantamount to corruption?

          • Gary McHale says:

            The Commissioner is appointed by McGuinty – McGuinty repeatedly and publicly supported the racial policies of the OPP.

            Imagine if the OPP arrested Black people just for driving down the 401 and McGuinty publicly said that was okay. The OPP in Caledonia willfully targeted non-Natives to be arrested who the OPP knew did not commit any crimes while they would stand by and watch Native protesters commit crimes.

            Even after Commissioner Fantino was criminally charged – by order of the court – McGuinty publicly supported him while his case was in court. Fantino ordered officers not to charge Native protesters who assaulted police officers.

            I can imagine the uproar of the left if Harper publicly supported a Conservative appointee who was facing charges. What if Harper today came out and supported Senator Brazeau – would the left hammer Harper or believe it is okay to do so?

            If McGuinty disagreed with the racist policies of the OPP he could fire the Commissioner – if not, then he supported the illegal policies.

        • Michael Bussiere says:

          Thank you. Your replies and your website are truly informative.

          By the way, Harper appointed Brazeau to the Senate in 2006 while Brazeau was under the cloud of sexual harrassment allegations, drinking on the job, being behind on child support, and mismanagement of funds. There’s hardly been an outcry about that either, and all Harper had to do was feign ignorance. I’m relieved to see that Gatineau Police pressed charges and applied the law equally to a native person. There is also a mountain of data indicating that black people are negatively profiled by police quite regularly, but you hardly ever read about that in the news. And as someone of mixed race, being half Syrian, I can tell you that I personally get all kinds of snide remarks by qualified member of the White Trash Nation all the time.

          So, I fully support any equal rights crusade. Good luck with it!

    • bluegreenblogger says:

      Lol, So you think you deserve a Jubilee medal for being ‘against McGuinty? And it was awarded to you by the National Taxpayers Federation, ROFL. I think that Warren Kinsellas point has been made more strongly out of your own mouth. 60,000 medals for being blindly partisan Conservative kooks.

      • Gary McHale says:

        Once again people post here without knowing the fact. I have hammered the Conservatives as well as the Liberals which is why Harper or Tim Hudak would never give me a medal. In fact, I registered with Elections Canada in two different elections and actively campaigned against Conservative MPs. Maybe if Mr. Kinsella had reported the facts of what has happened his readership wouldn’t be better informed?

        Standing up to racist policing policies and exposing the corruption within all levels of government should be the job of every Canadian. Establishing equality and freedom for every individual is something I thought Mr. Kinsella believed in – I guess I was wrong.

        I have said many times on TV that neither the Liberals of Conservatives have the balls to establish equality before the law – both parties over the past 30 years have creates two tier justice in Canada.

        BTW: I still have not seen Mr. Kinsella post the names of people McGuinty gave the medal to – wonder why?

        • Gary McHale says:

          You are a columnist in a major newspaper writing a story about all the conservatives that got a medal and you don’t care how Liberal MPs, Senators and McGuinty gave out medals? Interesting… maybe before you write your B.S. you could investigate the facts so when you say, “No one knows. No one will say” you would know that SunTV and various Sun newspapers already published the reason why the medal was given. Maybe if you tried using a phone you could have talked to the Taxpayers Federation like other Sun reporters/columnists did.

          But hey, Liberals are not known for getting their facts straight – don’t let your propaganda interfere with the truth.

          ‘Prominent role’ – Prominent enough that you felt the need to attack me instead of dealing with issues. The fact that McGuinty felt the need to use my name while he spoke at Queen’s Park further demonstrates why you are pissed.

        • Gary McHale says:

          Mr. Kinsella:

          I am sure you are aware that Ontario’s defamation laws require me to hand deliver legal notice to you. I have no problem going to your home but if you are willing to accept service by email then we can avoid this.

          Will you accept service by email? – I’ll see you in court.

          You crossed the line with your expression of personal hatred and linking me to white supremacy.

          Of course, you can avoid the legal issues if you simply inform the public you had no evidence to support your claims.

          Gary McHale

        • Gary McHale says:

          Thanks for the information – I will serve your lawyer.

          Amazing that you quote from radical left websites (created by members of the Black Block) to support your claim – very reliable source. Maybe you need to read Supreme Court rulings on how the media should quote from non-biased reliable sources.

          There is a reason why no one put their name to the story you quoted from. Just ask Hamilton Talk TV – they attempted to use the very same story in court and failed.

          I had no problem cashing their cheque and they did post a video apology.

          I will phone Mr. Shiller to ensure he will accept service of my notice.

  4. Bruce A says:

    If you’re going to do something like this, then do it right. If you’re giving out 60,000 of them, then give every subject, er, citizen one. Harpercrites haven’t any class and it’s too late to learn ’em any table manners.

    Small wonder they’re fetching $25 on ebay with a 14 day return policy. Simple supply and demand. You’d think that these ‘free market fundamentalists’ would have remembered this.

    I’m no fan of Queen Elizabeth II or The British Monarchy but this is just tacky and they deserve better, not some half-arsed effort Homer Simpson would be proud of.

    • Gary McHale says:

      Too bad you have a hard time reading – they are Replica medals and not actually medals given out by the Queen. In fact, you can buy any medal you want on ebay so does that mean all medals have no value? I just love liberal logic.

      • Bruce A says:

        That’s my point. They’re ‘plastic’ and phony. Not unlike the modern day ‘conservative’.

        Yes, these medals on ebay have no value but when the real ones are handed out like chocolate treats for partizan purposes their value is cheapened.

        Too bad you can’t understand the nuance of what you read. I’ll be more precise with my language next time.

  5. Herman Thind says:

    Couldn’t agree with you more, Warren.

    The process and selection is extremely flawed. Such an outright attempt to curry favour with certain groups… Sad.

  6. Eric Weiss says:

    The queen and all of her inbred, horse-faced kin are a joke. The sooner we grow up, become a republic, and religate queens, kings, princes and princesses to fairy tales and the dustbin of history the better.

    • frmr disgruntled Con now Happy Lib says:

      So we can ape our neighbours to the south?……the Monarchy helps differentiate us from the good ol’ USA……I like Americans, I just dont want to be one……
      The medal program needed tighter guidelines to be sure, but with the Harper cabal in charge, did you expect anything different?……
      BTW, this Harper monarchy kick is as phony as three dollar bill……scratch a CRAPatista, and you’ll find a republican/American wannabe nine times out of ten…….

      • Eric Weiss says:

        That’s your reason to keep the monarchy? Because if we don’t somehow we become more like Americans? We can create our own form of government without copying the Americans or the Brits.

        How can we consider ourself a democracy when our head of state is only there by right of birth and anachronistic traditions? Because a few hundred years ago her aristocratic ancestors killed more poor people than some other group of aristocratic assholes?

        Some traditions aren’t worth holding on to.

      • Thomas Gallezot says:

        Great! So this is what it was all about! Helping differentiate us from the americans! Welcome back to the 19 century! And what helps differentiate us from the British? No wonder you don’t understand Quebec! Canada needs to live its own life and move from granny’s basement

  7. Equus says:

    “Murky religious groups aligned with the ruling Conservatives.”

    Better than being a scummy low-life mafia-ridden Liberal party member. Justin et al are just puppets and not worthy to lead nor govern… and you know it.

  8. Kev says:

    I worked for a Member of Parliament when the Canada 125 medals were awarded. We had IIRC 20 to award in the riding. We met as an office and with some outside help over weeks, whittling down a list, ensuring gender, linguistic, ethnic, age, and social sector balance. Avoided partisans of our own party. No one got a medal for work they were paid to do. And anyone who nominated themselves was quietly withdrawn from consideration.

  9. Wally Jasminaos says:

    Allow us to restate that historical precedents illuminate smaller events:

    In 1994, President Robert Mugabe was appointed an honorary Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Bath by Queen Elizabeth II.

    Mugabe has compared himself to Adolf Hitler: “I am still the Hitler of the time. This Hitler has only one objective, justice for his own people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people. If that is Hitler, then let me be a Hitler tenfold. Ten times, that is what we stand for.”

    Mugabe is guilty of a genocide of 20 000 and displacing a million using his North Korean trained 5 Brigade.

    Are you really surprised that if the Royal Machinery is that willfully blind it’s going to know or care about some petty religious fanatics or Aryan nation types. Anyone – yes, anyone! – who has supported the Conservatives could be up for one of these.

    Might I also remind you and your readers of bluebloods like Edward VIII who met with Hitler, the Duke giving full Nazi salutes, and eventually Churchill had to threaten a court martial if the Duke did not return to England and cease his defeatist anti-Allied propaganda.

    It should be understood that the whole social Darwinist, racialist/breeding obsession, divine right of kings, blood and soil, royal prerogatives, etc. all stem out of the same dark root and can easily metastasize into a fifth column that supports fanatics.

    We salute your critique!

  10. J.W. says:

    Diminished: Monarchy, military, RCMP, humanitarian agencies, history, House of Commons, Senate, Governor General, elections, environment, correctional facilities, science, agriculture, food safety, worker’s rights, and . . . More??

  11. Ted Harlson says:

    Gary McHale’s Queens Diamond Juibilee medal for significant contribution to Canada is for a just principle.
    Without equality before the law, Canada’s justice system alternatively is in a degenerative state and collapse. Individual liberties cannot exist without equality before the law. Today’s cultural and legal degeneration is either modern strains of communism or modern strains of fascism. Both those sides agree their brands of socialism be called left or right – but they are both variants of socialism. Hitler hated and spitted on political freedom he called, “Americanization.” Its also true today. Both communism and fascism today are in a state of pressure group warfare, where Canada should be a country where strong individuals can speak up and act based on individual freedom.
    Canada’s very own national anthem identifies Gary McHale in true patriot love, commanding Canada remain, “glorious and free.” His Diamond Jubilee medal is deserving among the rare voluntary activism he has organized in contrast to the overwhelmingly paid, public service agencies and public servants on the Jubilees list. He is as the Jubilee identifies, a “diamond” among leaders of Canada.
    – Ted Harlson

    • Ed Frink says:

      Gary McHale is insensitive to the concerns of First Nations people. We need more affirmative action, funding for FN as well as self governance for using traditional FN justice system so that there is true fairness.

      • Ted Harlson says:

        Ed Frink, You have got to be kidding! I grew up in and around reserves and affirmative action is the last thing “natives” need. Their band offices and ‘friendship centers’ are already sinking in thousands of these kinds of temporary make work programs. What’s needed is being treated equally before the law, i.e., abolishing the Indian Act and putting an end to ‘land claim’ issues.

        The idea of splitting Canada’s justice system with a racial meat cleaver isn’t a good idea either. Have you no inkling of the idea of poly-logism and its horrible effects wherever it has been implemented? Canadian Indians are not an alien breed. They are people just like everybody else, with the capacity to learn, be selfish, be generous, develop careers, if treated equally before the law! Now that would be fair.

  12. Beth Higginson says:

    Hi Warren – jsut look at what Rob Jamieson posted.

    “And so right-wing talk-show host gets a medal. “MP Cheryl Gallant says Vandergragt cares deeply about this community and Christian family values. He is also a member of the Renfrew County Private Property Owners Association.” http://www.renfrewtoday.ca/default.asp?pid=430848&wireid=02665_RAP_RADIO_HOSTS_MEDALS1_132809

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