Welcome to those who usually tune in at this time to watch Canadian Crime Weekly on the Nighttime Podcast Network.
This week, I review the first annual report of the Progress Monitoring Committee of the Mass Casualty Commission, along with some critiques from a member of the Committee, and my thoughts on how the lack of change can be traced back to the MCC itself.
I also cover two appeals from the Supreme Court of Canada, on police use of an accused's cell phone and instructions on unsavory witnesses. I discuss two cases from the NS Court of Appeal on criminal appeals by Robert Rogers and Jimmy Melvin. I cover other NS cases on delayed verdicts caused by Judge Rinkola Brinton and one on what happens when you have an appearance notice to show up to court, but no charges have been laid.
Finally, I look at the unfortunate case of lawyer Donn Fraser, who made the news this week after his altercation with sheriffs in the Pictou Courthouse was reviewed by the NS Court of Appeal.
Before all that, I have some thoughts on PM Trudeau's visit to Mar-A-Largo, and how many people are misperceiving how to approach the threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States, as well as the merits of the proposed GST 'holiday'.

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This week, I start with an analysis of the Federal Court's affirmation of the new Federal electoral boundaries for Cape Breton's two seats. The First Nation of Eskasoni is switching ridings, and challenged the change in court after the Boundaries Commission rejected the appeal of MP Jaime Battiste. The judge hearing the case is an indigenous law expert, and rejected every single point raised by Eskasoni, and in doing so stated that it appeared that Eskasoni was trying to gerrymander the riding - a serious allegation to make, but one that is justified based on what was presented. Mr. Battiste announced that he will be running in the new urban riding. There has not yet been a comment from MP Mike Kelloway, who currently represents the rural riding, but who was rumoured to be looking to run in Sydney-Glace Bay.
Other stories covered this week include the sentencing in the case of the Bedford teen who stabbed the Vice Principal and an administrative assistant at the school, the Supreme Court of Canada's overturning of an acquittal on a human trafficking case from NS, the Pat King convictions, the Paul Bernardo parole hearing controversy, the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant on Benjamin Netanyahu, and the current state of the various cases against President-elect Trump.

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This week, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court declared that Chéticamp should have it's own provincial riding. The decision from Justice Pierre Muise is critical of the 2019 Dodds Report, and relies on the Supreme Court of Canada's interpretation of voting rights under section 3 of the Charter.
One of the lawyers for the Fédération Acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse is now-Senator Rejean Aucoin.
One of the appeals heard on the NS Court of Appeal's trip to Cape Breton was released this week. It was the appeal of the Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association against Joseph Curry, a funeral director who accidentally cremated the wrong body.
In more international news, I discuss the story of the separating Toronto couple and how they dealt with their Taylor Swift tickets, and also the highly promoted, and terrible, Mike Tyson - Jake Paul boxing match and the potential for litigation to follow after Tyson was clearly not ready, and Paul seemingly held back.

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With the provincial election campaign underway, I examined the party platforms and publications to see what is being presented in the justice sphere. The answer is very little, despite the efforts made to give good advice through the Desmond Inquiry and Mass Casualty Commission.
I attended the Antigonish candidates forum on Wednesday, and saw a candidate do something that I have not seen before.
The case of Jennifer Brady has made the news a few times in recent months. This week, she won her case against the Provincial government to have them pay for her out of province surgery. I discuss the case (which included the judge describing her situation as 'kafkaesque') and its implications.

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I am back after a hiatus with a new Rodgers Brief. This week, the long awaited Ruck Report on racism in the NS Barristers Society was released, with some interesting comments on the Lyle Howe prosecution.
Also, I review (the very few) justice issues being mentioned by the main parties in the Nova Scotia election campaign.
Nationally, there were two stories - one is the release of the report by Special Interlocutor for Residential School Unmarked Graves, Kimberly Murray, who says Canada is 'obligated' to criminalize residential school denialism.
The last story I cover this week relates to medical assistance in dying. Quebec is going to allow advance requests, while in British Columbia, an injunction was granted against a woman with mental health struggles, who was approved for MAiD.

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On Thursday, Allan MacMaster announced that he was running for the Conservative Party nomination in Cape Breton Canso Antigonish. It was a surprise to many for Allan to step down as Provincial Finance Minister at such a relatively early stage of the Houston Government’s trajectory, which seems likely to involve at least two full terms in office (if not more). To be such a key player on that team, yet leave well before the job is done, and on the cusp of a Provincial election call, is telling. The short, perfunctory response to the news from the Premier is perhaps equally telling.
I will continue to meet with members and to sign up new members, in pursuit of the nomination. I have been getting a great reaction from long-time members as well as students and other young people, and have been engaging new and future members on a regular basis. I have been doing all this on top of a full-time-plus law practice. It is a challenge, but one I welcome. I look forward to the contest ahead, and to meeting more potential voters in the coming weeks and months.

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On a pre-Thanksgiving trip to Toronto, I reflect on my time living here 20 years ago and my involvement in the finance industry. One of the projects involved evaluating a mortgage portfolio in order to have it used as the foundation of mortgage-backed securities, a new product at the time that has had major ramifications for the market, increasing costs to residents, and further concentrating wealth.
Toronto is a great city to visit, friendly, easy to navigate, and lots to see.

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Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has written a new book, On Leadership, which has a very interesting section on foreign policy. Blair says this is an area of governing that few consider before taking office, but which invariably takes up a great deal of time, effort, and political capital once in office.
I take Blair's insights into the relations among the great powers of the United States, China, and India, and the threats posed by the alliance of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and extrapolate how Canada might best play a significant role in the years to come.

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Parliament is returning to session on September 16th, with a new dynamic, after the NDP 'ripped up' their Supply and Confidence Agreement with the governing Liberals. I discuss the impact of that, the high hopes many once had for Jagmeet Singh, the appearance of Mark Carney at the Liberal caucus meeting in Nanaimo, the recent news around Jaime Battiste, Mike Kelloway, and Sean Fraser, and the carbon tax turnaround by NDP leaders in BC, Manitoba, and federally.
Then, I discuss the latest in the nomination battle to be the Conservative Party candidate in the newly configured federal riding of Cape Breton Canso Antigonish.
To sign up to become a Conservative member (for $15 for one year), you can go to this link;
https://secure.conservative.ca/en/membership

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