Human Rights are Before the Rule of Law
Nipawin - February 16, 2001 - by: Mario deSantis
more nervous than $1-million	While in China, our Prime Minister Jean Chrétien expressed his understanding of a democratic
	society by saying that China must establish the Rule of Law, and that it is imperative that a
	judicial legal system be implemented to encourage international investment. There is nothing
	more nervous than $1-million... A million dollars doesn't speak Chinese, doesn't speak French,
	doesn't speak English, and it moves very quickly(1).
more important than justice	It is appalling to realize that Jean Chrétien, a man with multiple honorary Phd degrees in law,
	equates a judicial system not for the purpose to provide justice, but for the purpose to attract a
	million dollar. I ask myself how we can ever work for a better society when our own Prime
	Minister implies that "a million dollar is more important than justice."
own that million dollar	We remind Mr. Chrétien that 10 million dollars didn't bring justice for the wrongful
	incarceration of David Milgaard. Now, I fully understand today's role of the Rule of Law, an
	artifice to protect the people who own that million dollar, a million dollar, with no nationality,
	ready to move very quickly in every corner of the world.
Supreme Court	How we can have justice and protection of human rights unless human rights are before the
	Rule of Law? The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest expression of the Canadian Rule
	of Law.
Clayton Ruby	In commenting on the Supreme Court's ruling that allows the police to use lies and threats to
	extract confessions, lawyer Clayton Ruby has stated: "Our values are revealed. They are
	these: Lie, cheat, mislead if you must. Ignore tears and repeated protestations of innocence.
	But get a confession from whomever you have in your hands. That's the message the Supreme
	Court has just sent to police forces across our land. We're playing with fire(2).
Serge Kujawa	This in turn reminds me of the sense of justice as expressed by former Saskatchewan
	prosecutor and MLA Serge Kujawa's "It doesn't matter if Milgaard is innocent... The whole
	judicial system is at issue-it's worth more than one person."
Lorenzo Romagnuolo	As I read the news today, I realize how criminal activities of the same police are protected by
	the Rule of Law. The Rule of Law should protect human rights and instead they protect the
	criminal activities of our police. The York police killed the father and wounded the brother of
	Lorenzo Romagnuolo in December 1998, and yet, after having done this shooting execution,
	the police had the courage to charge Romagnuolo for three different charges including bodily
	assault and threatening the police(3). Romagnuolo was acquitted of the first two charges last
	December, and fearful that Romagnuolo would be acquitted again and cause bad publicity, the
	police decided to drop the last charge.
Brian Dueck	Again, today I re-read the criminal participation of Saskatoon Superintendent Brian Dueck in
	the Scandal of the Century(4), and again we have another play with the Rule of Law to cover the
	misdeeds of our police and governments. Where are the protection of human rights by the
	Rule of Law? Our Rule of Law is above human rights, and this is wrong, and this is why we
	need an inquiry in our justice system, and this is why we need to re-establish human rights
	before the Rule of Law.
------------References/endnotes:
1.	Chrétien turns up the heat on China, BRIAN LAGHI, February 15, 2001
2 -	The Supreme Court of Canada: Using Psychology to find the Truth by Mario deSantis, October 21, 2000
3. -	Romagnuolo son angry as charges dropped. Wanted day in court: Father shot dead, brother wounded in struggle with police, Chris Wattie, National Post, February 14, 2001
4.	The Scandal of the Century and Brian Dueck