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Re parole for convicted murderer of entire B.C. family

Tammy Arishenkoff was a guest on yesterday's program and addressed her effort to galvanize Canadian public opinion to counter a bid for parole from David Shearing (aka David Ennis) who in 1982 took the lives of the grandparents and parents of Karen (11) and Janet (13) Johnson in order to gain sexual access to the girls. Within a week he had shot and killed each of the children. Shearing is now married and claims great regret for his actions and will in September be facing the Parole Board of Canada with requests for day and full parole.
Tammy, who attended school with Janet and Karen and the Johnson family have an online petition underway to challenge parole for Shearing. You may obtain the petition at http://www.facebook.com/groups/johnsonbentley/
There is also information about how to write a victims impact statement of your own. Deadline for submission is June 23.

some of what's on today's show (Sunday, May 27)

We talk to a university professor who describes herself as a "repentent ex-Maoist" who still has "a soft spot for the occasional wildcat strike." However she also writes "I'm not sympathetic to this ongoing hissy fit in Quebec." This professor participated in the Cultural Revolution in China and has much to say to students challenging any increase in tuition, like, "where do the protesters think the money is going to come from? Health care?"

On the changes to E.I. and statistics on the numbers of young people between 15 and 29 who have stopped looking for work, according to Statistics Canada, our Money issues panelists Linda Leatherdale, vp Cambria Canada and independent business journalist at (www.lindaleatherdale.com) and Canadian Federation of Independent Business CEO/President Catherine Swift (www.cfib.ca) will have much to say.

I had a miserable experience with Bell Canada customer service this week (in fact, two), but also had excellent service from other Bell Canada customer service reps. Will share that with you and ask for your customer service experiences. Musician Dave Carroll (www.DaveCarrollmusic.com) whose song "United Breaks Guitars" went viral after United Airlines smashed his guitar has a new book out titled "United Breaks Guitars: The Power Of One Voice In The Age of Social Media". Dave joins us today.

The butler did it! Classic book and movie line which appears true in the Vatican, as Pope Benedict's butler has been charged with stealing confidential papal documents. Father Jonathan Morris worked directly for Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul before him. Father Jonathan will speak to this developing international story. He is also a Fox News contributor and author of God Wants You Happy.

Immigration issues will be the topic with federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney...as well as the Minister's reaction to national polling suggesting large numbers of Canadians do not want Omar Khadr to return to Canada.

David Shearing murdered six members of a British Columbia family. He killed the grandparents and parents of 11 old Karen and 13 year old Janet Johnson in order to gain sexual access to the children. Eventually he murdered Karen and Janet as well. Shearing has a parole hearing soon and Tammy Arishenkoff who was a school friend of Karen and Janet is organizing a national drive to deny Shearing parole. Tammy joins us on the show today.

Some of what you'll hear and we'll open the phone lines along the way.

 

Some of what's on today's show (May 26)

Will be speaking with Carol de Delley, Tim McLean's mother, about Vincent Li giving an interview sugesting he doesn't hear voices urging him to kill any loger and would as Carol to forgive him for killing Tim on the Greyhound Bus. Visit Carol's site www.timslaw.ca. David van Duzen joins us on the issue of Not Criminally Responsible as well. Concerns his family and David Irwin killing his mother and also being declared NCR.

Google will issue warnings to users that hundreds of thousands of personal computers globally may no longer be able to connect to the internet July 9. Has to do with hackers. There is a way to determine if your computer is involved. We'll have answers from the man whose group the FBI used in order to keep affected computers operating for some time now.

Todd Burleson of Alpine Ascents is perhaps the most experience Everest guide. He'll join us on climbing the mountain and the human traffic jams there. This following the death of Canadian climber Shria Shah-Klorfine last weekend.

Three female former RCMP officers who state they were sexually harassed, even assaulted, will join a retired Sgt and speak to the latest case of Staff Sgt. Don Ray (just demoted to Sgt) and his admitted sexual harassment. Does transferring Ray to B.C. from Alberta show responsibility on this issue by the RCMP? I'll ask my panel. Remember, I did offer Commissioner Paulson the opportunity to speak for the force on the program. The invitation was declined.

Another junior hockey coach (internationally successful from the Ukraine and placed two players in the NHL) shown to be a sexual and physical abuser of players. Canadian and U.S. parents who billetted his players noticed things weren't right with the teenagers and began to sound the alarm. The coach in question, Ivan Pravilov, was charged, jailed and committed suicide in prison earlier this year. Jason Nark has written an outstanding story on this case for the Philadelphia Daily News (www.Philly.com). It's titled "The Perfect Predator". Jason joins us on the show today.

The Quebec students protest is growing in size and moving to more communities. What is this developing into? We'll have PQ member and talk show host Nino Colavecchio and Montreal lawyer Brent Tyler who has taken language law issues before the Supreme Court of Canada speak to this issue, as well as later on in the segment Sean, a McGill university student from Western Canada. he pays a premium to attend university in Quebec. What's his reaction to developments?

and more on the issue of the Facebook IPO....and IPOs in general. Great guest!!

That's just some of what's on today. Follow me on Twitter: @TheRoyGreenShow

He murdered six members of B.C. family, including 11 and 13 year old girls. Now David Shearing is granted a parole hearing

"Michael Rafferty will never see the outside of a prison for the rest of his life." Words spoken in grim satisfaction following Rafferty's conviction of murdering eight year old Tori Stafford.
Similar words may well have been spoken in 1981 in Calgary following Harold Smeltzer's conviction of abducting, sexually abusing, drowning and discarding the body of 5 year old Kimberley Thompson in a garbage can.
Five years ago Canada's justice system defined Smeltzer as a manageable risk and released him on day parole to a Correctional Service Canada halfway house in Regina. Smeltzer would though be returned to prison after staff found sexually explicit material in his possession. A short stay it turned out. Smeltzer's day parole status was quickly returned.
In 1982, David Shearing (now known as David Ennis) murdered six members of a B.C. family. George and Edith Bentley, their daughter Jackie Johnson and her husband Bob and the Johnson's daughters, 13 year old Janet and 11 year old Karen.
Shearing murdered the adults first. His intent was to gain sexual access to the children whom he held for a week, repeatedly molesting Janet, before shooting bith girls in the head.
Shearing today is preparing for a September parole hearing and like Smeltzer before him and perhaps eventually Rafferty, he spoke of recognizing the enormity of his crime during a previous and denied appeal for parole in 2008. Yet just three weeks later Shearing was nevertheless issued a temporary escorted pass by Correctional Service Canada.
Family and friends of Shearing's victims are outraged they will be required to endure another of the mass killer's bids for freedom.
Kimberley Thompson's family remains determined to challenge Smeltzer's release and has created a website www.kimmieslaw.com in her memory.
The words "Michael Rafferty will never see the outside of a prison for the rest of his life" may eventually ring hollow. In fact, even though the so-called faint hope clause (Section 745 of Canada's Criminal Code) allowing those convicted of first degree murder a bid for parole after fifteen years in prison has been repealed by the current federal government, Rafferty will nevertheless be eligible for such a release from incarceration process. His initial arrest predates passage of the legislation removing Section 745.
On Sunday's program I will be addressing the issue of David Shearing (Ennis) and his upcoming bid for freedom.

Visited six federal prisons for Corcan program

During my vacation time I, along with fellow members of the CORCAN advisory board visited six federal prisons in the Kingston, Ontario area. We were there to see the CORCAN program in action. Having seen four institutions in Quebec recently I knew we'd observe some really outstanding work being done.
Since being appointed to the CORCAN advisory board by Federal Minister for Public Safety Vic Toews a year ago I have seen how the CORCAN program can and does change lives for the better.
Read my column in the Canadian Business Journal June edition (www.canadianbusinessjournal.ca) for a review of the CORCAN program in greater detail.

Am putting the weekend programs together now and can promise you there'll be much to talk about.

Thanks to Jeff McArthur for sitting in last weekend. He is a really talented broadcaster.

taking a few days off

I'm taking a few days off and back on the show the weekend of May 26-27. I will be posting to Twitter. You can follow me @TheRoyGreenShow.

Some of what you'll hear on today's show

The decision defence lawyers make when representing a defendant like Michael Rafferty, or clients criminally charged, but not necessarily facing a murder conviction?  Can a lawyer ever afford to become even slightly emotionally involved and are there cases a lawyer just will not take for moral or other personal reasons?  David Butt was the lawyer for the Muslim woman who demanded the right to wear a niqab while testifying against men she accused of sexual assault. David Butt is my guest.

a 12 year old sent email concerning Tori's law (capital punishment for anyone convicted of first degree murder, as described by my Corus colleague Charles Adler).  Today I'll read the email from that 12 year old and ask whether 24 hours after the initial emotional reaction to Rafferty's conviction you still feel as strongly that child killers should be executed.  And remember, in Canada, a child abductor who sexually assaulted his 5 year old victim and then murdered the child was released from prison quite recently. 

Are Ontario and the OPP conducting a back door gun registry and in defiance of parliament and the federal Minister for Public Safety?  Tony Bernardo, executive director of CILA and the CSSA is outraged at the Ontario action and joins us.  We'll open the phone lines as well.

Federal immigration Minister Jason Kenney will explain why he reduced the time for the cases of "irregular arrivals" to be reviewed from 1 year to 14 days and the Minister is critical of the federal NDP's apparant support for an organization named No One Is Illegal.  The Minister says No One Is Illegal wants Canada's doors thrown wide open to anyone from anywhere and our taxpayer funded social systems made available. 

Immigration lawyer Richard Kurland has discovered how much 65 years of age and older parents and grandparents of immigrants who enter Canada cost our health care system annually and over a twenty year period.  Mr. Kurland will explain and I'll have a question for you about parents and grandparents of immigrants entering Canada. 

We'll talk to syndicated columnist and author of the Obituary for Common Sense, Lori Borgman.  Lori will share her thoughts on two mother-related stories.  One is the Time magazine cover story of a 26 year old California mom still breastfeeding her 3 year old son and saying she'll continue for at least another year.  It's called attachment parenting.  Do you approve?  We'll ask.

That's some of what's on today's show.   Join us and follow me on Twitter @TheRoyGreenShow

 

What you'll hear on today's show (May 12)

Following the guilty verdicts against Michael Rafferty, we'll have Mike Drolet of Global National join us.  Mike has done such great work covering the trial as Global National's correspondent.  Scott Newark, former Alberta Crown Attorney and former head of the Ontario Office for Victims of Crime will speak to what's next for Rafferty and the issue of judicial discretion and Toronto criminal and appellate lawyer Michael Lacy joins us later in the show.  I'll also be asking for your views on what my friend Charles Adler has called "Tori's Law" and that would mandate the death penalty for a convicted child killer.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is taking exception to federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair's remarks about the energy resource sector and the Premier will be a guest today.

Kevin D. Freeman is one of the world's leading experts on economic warfare and financial terrorism.  He has consulted for the CIA, FBI, SEC and Homeland Security.  It is Mr. Freeman's conclusion that the 2008 U.S. financial meltdown was an act of undeclared war and economic terrorism against the U.S.  He says there's more to come and the Obama administration is doing little about it.  Kevin Freeman's book is Secret Weapon: How Economic Terrolrism Brought Down the U.S. Stock Market and Why it Can Happen Again.  Kevin Freeman join us today.

Joel Stein is a wildly funny writer and many will recognize him as the back page columnist for Time magazine.  Joel will be on today's show on what he did to acquire manly skills to pass along to his newborn son.  It included getting into the ring with UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, driving a Lamborghini, 24 hours with the LAFD and 3 days of boot camp with the U.S. Army.  Joel's book is Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity.

And J.P. Morgan Chase bank lost $2 billion in six weeks.  The CEO is using language like "sloppiness and bad judgment".  Hello....what didn't you learn in '08/'09?  Greece totters on the brink of financial ruin and Greek politicians can't form a government.  In France there's a socialist president who doesn't believe in austerity (you can't spend what you don't have...or can you?), Spanish banks are in trouble and the Chinese and Indian economies are showing problems.  Where are we headed globally and nationally economically?   Tom Caldwell, Chairman of Caldwell Securities will analyse.

Some of what's on today's show....  follow me on Twitter for earlier info and updates @TheRoyGreenShow

Vic Toews tells Chief Firearms Officers to back off...

It was clear to Canadian voters that the long-gun registry would be voted out of existence were a Conservative majority government elected last year. A matter of no small concern and interest to at least a few Liberal and New Democrat incumbents strong-armed into public support of the registry, even if perhaps not experiencing a private change of heart.

A Conservative majority government followed through on its long-gun registry commitment.

Not surprisingly, Quebec has chosen to challenge Ottawa decision-making through the courts, as the province yet again finds itself unable to accept federal jurisdiction over an issue which clearly is, well, federal.

It was though that Chief Firearms Officers in five provinces determined a parliamentary decision was theirs to ignore which created an immediate and angry response from gun owners nationally.

I interviewed Tony Bernardo, executive director of the Canadian Institute of Legislative Action (CILA) and the Canadian Sports Shooting Association on Sunday's show and Mr. Bernardo wondered why federal Minister for Public Safety Vic Toews hadn't been heard from.

Well now the Minister has issued a "back off" directive, writing to the RCMP commissioner and Assistant Commissioner in part "the Firearms Act neither authorizes this activity, nor any other measures that could facilitate the creating of a provincial long-gun registry". The Minister is correct in doing so.

Even without the registry, obtaining a long-gun licence legally in Canada is no easy matter and requires wading through privacy invading questions a government arguably has no right to demand its citizens answer.

In the end it won't be parliament which has the final say. Yet again non-elected appointees to the bench will deliver a judicial determination on the eventual and final disposition of registry. Quebec has charted that route already.

Here's some of what's on today's show, May 6

Conrad Black is back and Omar Khadr is coming back. Both have supporters and detractors. Do both, one, or neither deserve to be in Canada? We'll ask you and Peter Worthington who visited with CB in his Florida prison joins us.

Much email reaction to atheist Ashu Solo's appearance on the show last weekend, along with Justin Trottier of the Canadian Secular Alliance. Mr. Solo is asking a human rights tribunal to hear his view that his human rights were violated by the recitation of a Christian prayer at a public event sponsored by the City of Saskatoon. There were several particular questions in listener emails I want to put to Mssrs Solo and Trottier and we'll do that today.

Homework is a contentious issue and one which whenever we raise it on the show generates strong views. Mostly unfavourable. Alfie Kohn is the author of 12 books dealing with education and has been identified by TIME magazine as perhaps the most outspoken critic of education systems fixation on grades and test scores. One of his books is The Homework Trap. Alfie Kohn (www.alfiekohn.org) will join us and will appear at the U of Calgary this Thursday evening. www.ticketweb.ca for tickets.

Monday was income tax deadline day. How many of your income tax dollars go to funding public sector worker pensions? It's a big number and given that most Canadians in the private sector have no pension at all, is it a fair number? Are public sector pensions damaging the financial picture for Canada? Our Money panelists, Catherine Swift, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (www.cfib.ca) and Linda Leatherdale, VP Cambria Canada and independent business journalist (www.lindaleatherdale.com) will speak to this question.

Occupy! It's back? There were suggestions the Quebec university students tuition protests were more Occupy 2012 than tuition protest. We did see Occupy return a few days ago on May Day (May 1), as expected. There was also violence involved in the Oakland, California Occupy event. So...for 2012, is Occupy going to be a force, or has it had its day and become an irritant and/or opportunity for smash some windows? We'll talk to a spokesman for the Coalition against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda in Chicago where a major anti NATO protest is expected in just a few days.

Yesterday another attack on NATO soldiers by an individual wearing an Afghan military uniform. One NATO soldier was killed. How stable are Iraq and Afghanistan? Lee Humphrey is the president of Calgary based International Security Consulting. Last weekend Lee joined us from Kabul, Afghanistan. Today he will speak from Baghdad, Iraq.