It is indicative of the influence Liberal governments have had on our federal judiciary that a move by the Conservatives to include a law enforcement community viewpoint on the panel that recommends candidates for judgeships has raised howls of protests, including opposition by Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin. She’s the judge who opined that unwritten norms, known only to federal judges, can be used in deciding cases even when they run counter to clearly spelt out legislation.

What is clear is that some judges believe that only certain viewpoints should be taken into account when recommending to the federal Justice Minister who should be considered for the bench. It is ok to have a judge on the panel, as well as lawyers and other people appointed by the government of Canada and the Provinces. Just don’t let a law enforcement representative, (you know, the people that actually fight crime on a daily basis) have a say.

In my opinion, and probably that of most Canadians who live in the real world, police and other agencies are the ones most involved in keeping us safe and trying to make sure that criminals are put behind bars. The outrage that is heard on a daily basis about abuses of the justice system is far more often directed at lenient judges who allow violent criminals out on bail, serve up ridiculously short sentences, or allow non-sentences such as house arrest.

If police are a special interest group, which those in opposition to Justice Minister Vic Toews’ proposal argue, then count me part of that group. To suggest that adding law enforcement representation to these panels, which do not select suitable candidates but merely rate and recommend, will interfere with judicial independence is twisted logic and simply shows why this move is long overdue.

…is the profit motive.

My son is going to university. He’s paying his own way. It costs a fair bit, but then I assume he’ll get a fair bit out of it. I was disappointed to learn that parking costs $500 per year. And even more disappointed to see that the university enrolls students in its health care plan via negative option billing. In the first two weeks of university, which is a pretty busy time, students have to opt out of the coverage or else they are enrolled for the semester.

With all the talk about expensive tuition, I guess I was naive enough to think that in other ways the academic world would try to keep costs down. Apparently not.

My son Adam and I like nothing better on Saturday evenings than to curl up and watch the Toronto Maple Leafs play on Hockey Night in Canada. Coming into this season we were very excited about the Leafs prospects because of all the young players that did so well last season. Pohl, Wellwood, Steen, Stajan, Bell, White, the list is a long one and provides hope for long-suffering Leaf fans.

I was quite disappointed, then, when the so-called “professional prognosticators” of the game in Toronto unleashed a scathing verbal assault on our beloved team starting before training camp. The Leafs would be life and death to make the playoffs, they said. No superstars on this team, they said.

After all, for Leaf fans hope springs eternal and every year could be THE YEAR! Yes, this very 06-07 season could be the big one where the team brings home the Stanley Cup.

We’re only a few games into the season but already the Leafs have justified the hope Adam and I had before it began. Sure enough, the young players are bringing the speed and energy we hoped they would. Raycroft seems to be worth his $2 million salary. Sundin is banging home goals at a torrid pace. In short, what we’ve seen so far is exactly what we expected.

I’m starting to understand the modus operandi of these cynical media hockey watchers though. Anyone listening to Leaf talk on the radio or reading the sports pages will have noticed a cautiously optimistic tone creeping in. That fits the pattern. The way they play it is simple: start off the season preaching doom and gloom; when the Leafs win a few games, move onto the back of the bandwagon; in mid-season, temper the rising expectations of the fans; and when we get into the playoffs (as we will!) become total sycophants. In other words, make only negative projections so that if the team rises above them the media can join the cheering without risking their reputations as canny, objective observers.

Since Adam and I are true Maple Leaf fans, none of this worries us unduly. Our motto is simple and our loyalties clear: Go Leafs Go!

In Toronto someone was selling pre-carved pumpkins for Halloween. Can anything be more indicative of our time-starved society and the pressures on families to be involved in every calendar event while missing the joys that accrued to these in the past? The process of carefully slicing open a pumkin, removing the messy innards and then creating a face, artfully or not, and roasting the pumpkin seeds, shared between parents and children, was its own reward. We are raising a society of young people who know little of the simple joys of the past.