Planned random DUI checkpoints a violation of rights
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
The people of Canada have the power to fight that plan. And it is vital that they do, because otherwise, they may as well just tear up Section 8 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – the bit that protects you against unreasonable search and seizure. This journal is pretty certain this is a ‘must have’ piece of legislation for the Tories for multiple reasons relating to their agenda, but one motivating factor that never gets talked about is how it will also more closely align Canadian law with that of the EU, greasing the skids for the current free trade negotiations that are going on under the radar. See here and here for more on that.
Flashback: Tories revive random roadside breath test | Random breathalyzer tests considered for Canada | Secret juror background checks not illegal, prosecutor says | You Commit Three Felonies a Day | Police training to forcibly take blood in Texas, Idaho | US Supreme Court rules police can initiate suspect’s questioning if right to counsel waived | Cops can now ‘take all your stuff’ | Entrapment becoming standard procedure for police | UK: Government ‘using fear as a weapon to erode civil liberties’ | Ottawa moves to toughen anti-gang laws | Schools seek more police as crime drops | Ontario to place prosecutors in police stations | ‘Mens rea’ intention test questioned prior to Toronto 18 terror verdict | Tory ‘Guilty before proven innocent’ law to make debut in court | Perjury: Is it different for cops? | Police to demand blood, urine at roadside stops | Justice Critic Brands Street Racing Vehicle Seizure Law as “Police State-ism” | CBC Radio Broadcasts Expose of North American Police State | You Are a Suspect
The Windsor Star
March 16, 2010
It looks like the federal government will go through with a plan to force random roadside breath tests on Canadian drivers.
The Justice Department has posted a special committee discussion paper on its website outlining the “remarkable results” random testing has had in some of the 25 countries that now impose the practice. The idea is to draw people to the site and convince them that the benefits far outweigh the loss of their personal rights and freedoms.
The department is also asking for “public input” to gauge our national sentiment on the subject, but we believe that’s all for show. The Harper Conservatives already have their minds made up. They are intent upon scrapping the 40-year-old impaired driving legislation that says breathalyzer tests can be administered only if there’s a reasonable suspicion that someone is driving drunk.
They want to give police the power to pull people over at whim and demand they take a breathalyzer test. By law, individuals will not be able to refuse.

NDP human rights critic Wayne Marston has tabled a private member’s bill in the Commons that he says will prevent any government complicity in torture.
The government of New Zealand has quietly implemented an internet filter and is urging the leading ISPs in the country to adopt the measure, in a move that would give the authorities the power to restrict whichever websites they see fit.
The Harper government appears ready to move ahead with imposing random roadside breath testing, which a new federal discussion paper says has produced “remarkable results” in catching drunk drivers in other countries.
Canada voiced muted criticism Thursday over the planned expansion of 1,600 new Israeli housing units in disputed East Jerusalem.
The European Parliament defied the EU executive today (10 March), casting a vote against an agreement between the EU, the US and other major powers on combating online piracy and threatening to take legal action at the European Court of Justice.
Skateboarders in Poway will have to register and be fingerprinted before using the Skate Park.
Heads will be forced to list children as young as five on school ‘hate registers’ over everyday playground insults.