Ghost of a flea: History in the making too

? Air Transat update | Main | Rhino Party ?

April 04, 2005

History in the making too

I had posted links to Canadian and American blogosphere reaction to rumoured violations of a Gomery Commission "sponsorship scandal" publication ban but am now uncertain if even naming a specific American blog, let alone linking to it, is in violation of the ban. I will update this post pending the outcome of rumoured contempt of court charges. If CTV, the Globe and Mail and The Sun are all avoiding the name of the blog in question it seems wise for me to follow suit. Welcome to Canada, eh!

AN AMERICAN website has breached the publication ban protecting a Montreal ad exec's explosive and damning testimony at the AdScam inquiry. The U.S. blogger raised the ire of the Gomery commission this weekend by publishing extracts from testimony given in secret by Jean Brault last Thursday.

The American blog, being promoted by an all-news Canadian website, boasts that "Canada's Corruption Scandal Breaks Wide Open" and promises more to come. The owner of the Canadian website refused to comment yesterday.

AdScam inquiry spokesman Francois Perreault expressed shock at the publication ban breach, and said commission co-counsel Bernard Roy and Justice John Gomery will decide today whether to charge the Canadian website owner with contempt of court.

(via Daimnation! and The Tiger in Winter)

Update: Being American in T.O. argues against the publication ban describing CTV as wimps for pulling a news article they had posted to their website saying that any crimes committed render all Canadian tax-payers plaintiffs.

Judge Gomery forgot that minor detail when he placed the publication ban on the testimony in order to guarantee a fair trial. I guess he and I have a fundamental disagreement on some basic concepts about government and tax money.

Something that has hit me over the last year is that there really does seem to be a difference between Americans and Canadians in relation to authority, the role of government and freedom of expression. My main disagreement with the Gomery Commission publication ban is the lack of clarity we face with respect to hyperlinks and internet publication. It is difficult to obey the law when we do not know if, despite acting in good faith, we are breaking it. As it stands, I believe the publication ban will be lifted at the end of the week.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at April 4, 2005 08:53 AM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.ghostofaflea.com/cgi-bin/mt/trackback-engine.cgi/3405