(This
column was published in the North
Shore News on
July 29, 1998)
Responsibility
for actions eroding
By Leo Knight
THE Canadian Human Rights Council announced Friday they had beaten the Toronto Dominion in a case they took to the federal court of Canada.
What
had those nasty bankers tried to do this time which aroused the
ire of the human rights types? Gouge an old lady? Foreclose on a
widow?
Nope.
They instituted a policy of drug testing to ensure their
employees who have access to large amounts of your money aren't
junkies.
With
the potency of heroin reaching levels of 80% and 90% purity and
the addiction rates increasing at frightening levels, the bank
felt it was incumbent to ensure they were protected from the
potential ravages of an addict with a habit far exceeding his or
her available salary.
Seems
reasonable enough on the surface. But the CHRC decided this was
an affront to all Canadians and a clear violation of the Canada
Human Rights Act. They argued the policy infringed on the rights
of addicts because junkies weren't responsible. According to the
CHRC, heroin addicts are "disabled."
The
federal court agreed in a majority decision.
The
act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and
defines disability to include those with a previous or existing
dependence on a drug.
"A
finding of trace amount of drugs in one's system does not mean
that the employee is unproductive or about to engage in a
work-related crime," Justice J.A. McDonald wrote for the
majority.
He
ruled that the test had the potential to discriminate against
employees and was not sufficiently related to performance on the
job.
John
Hucker, secretary-general of the Canadian Human Rights
Commission, responsible for pursuing the case through the
courts, was pleased with the decision.
"There
is little evidence that drugs are a problem in the banking
sector," said Hucker.
This
is getting a bit thick.
The
"loony left" and social activists have been battling
the conservative right over the issue of state-sponsored heroin
provision to addicts. That debate rages on.
Privately
run companies trying to protect themselves from the crime
related to drugs have been using drug testing for some time now.
Bear in mind that virtually every study done on crime and
criminology attributes a significant portion of criminal
activity to drugs and the pursuit of sufficient money to supply
a burgeoning habit.
Now,
despite the ravages addicts unleashed on society, the second
highest court in the land has said they're "disabled."
What's
next? Pensions for bank robbers? Retirement homes for car
thieves?
Isn't
anyone responsible for their own actions anymore?
*
* *
Last
week's column illustrating the offer by Coquitlam businessman
Doug Stead certainly struck a chord with a great many readers.
Stead,
you'll remember, is the man who challenged the constitutionality
of photo radar and won. The attorney general has mounted an
appeal of that decision. The AG managed to get an appeal date in
September, barely two months away. Not bad considering the
backlog that forces the rest of us to wait upwards of a year to
even see the inside of a courtroom.
The
column spoke of the inherent reasons for Stead's fight and his
belief that powerful individuals are protecting certain
pedophiles who are well-connected to politicians and judges.
He
put up a $10,000 bounty for information leading to the arrest
and conviction of a politician, senior civil servant, judge or
doctor engaged in acts of sex with children and young teens.
Since
that column ran, more individuals have called with pledges of
more money. At this point, the reward pool stands at $20,000 and
a further $10,000 is on the way.
Clearly,
neither Stead nor I anticipated this reaction. Consequently,
this is going to have to take a somewhat different format than
originally considered.
In
order not to be at risk of the inevitable potshots coming from
certain quarters, it has been decided to set up a non-profit
society to act as a go-between for incoming information, ensure
all information gets to the appropriate police authority, assist
the police in any way possible and ultimately, to disperse the
reward pool to the justly deserving individuals who come
forward.
All
will be done with legal counsel and all monies will be held in
trust on that basis. The end goal is to eradicate from the
positions of power individuals, either engaging in acts of
pedophilia or, by virtue of their office, using their power to
condone and protect pedophiles from appropriate prosecution.
Stead
is trying to protect our children. He has seen first-hand the
system protecting those it should be prosecuting. He wants to
change that so more kids won't be victimized.
This
is a David and Goliath story. Let's hope David wins this battle.
As
a side note, several police officers called after that column
ran. They believe this is going to make for a lot of nervous
people. Given that many victims drift into a life of street
prostitution, some as young as 10 or 12 years old who might wish
to co-operate with police hoping a reward of that size can get
them off the streets for good, the officers believe this has a
strong chance of success.
As
things progress with Stead's project, I will keep the reader
updated in this space.
Again,
anyone with information can call me at the North Shore News and
I will ensure the information gets to the appropriate
authorities.
Alternately,
email me at the address listed below or Stead at dstead@dowco.com.
In complete confidence of course.
Stay tuned. This could be an interesting ride.
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