Order of Canada - Conrad Black

[JPL]

Here is a news article which will certainly prove very interesting and should generate a lot of comments:

Lawyers for former media baron Conrad Black will be in Federal Court in Toronto today to argue that their client should be given the chance to explain in person why he should be allowed to keep his Order of Canada honour. Black's 1990 appointment as an officer of the Order of Canada is under review by an advisory council because of fraud and obstruction of justice convictions related to his tenure as head of the Hollinger newspaper empire. Black served 37 months in a Florida prison for those crimes and was released earlier this year.

The regulations say the council shall consider "the termination of a person's appointment to the Order of Canada if the person has been convicted of a criminal offence." In an affidavit filed in Federal Court, Black said there are grounds to show he was treated inappropriately and unfairly throughout his "lengthy interaction with the American justice system."

He says no Canadian court would have convicted him and he wants an oral hearing to make that point, with the help of witnesses, so he can look the Order of Canada's advisory council members "in the eyes." The advisory council has already turned down his request to appear in person to argue his case.

According to the rules governing the termination process, a person whose appointment is being reviewed has the right to "make representations in writing or as the secretary general may authorize." There is no specific mention of the right to an oral hearing. The 11-member council, which is chaired by Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, is reviewing Black's case and will make a recommendation to Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

Appointment as an officer of the Order of Canada is meant to recognize "a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large." Black renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2001 to accept a peerage in the British House of Lords. While in prison, he applied for and was granted a temporary resident permit, which would allow him to live in Canada until May 2013. He has said he wants to regain his Canadian citizenship.

Read the complete article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/story/2012/08/24/conrad-black-court-hearing.html

Jean-Paul

[TacHel]

What utter nonsense! He should lose it and his name be stricken from the records!