Governor General Designate with legal background |
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Written by Christopher Green
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Sunday, 11 July 2010 21:18 |
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It’s true, I am a bit disappointed I didn't get the call to be the new Governor General. It looks like a good gig: good salary, nice house, snappy uniform and access to an impressive wine cellar.
It’s probably my own fault - I should have e-mailed the PM's office to let them know I was interested.
As I didn't get it, I am very pleased to see that the appointment will go to a worthy candidate. David Johnson is a fellow Queen’s grad so he is obviously sound; he’s also a lawyer, a marathon runner and a hockey fan. All in all, salutary qualifications.
In all seriousness though, it's very reassuring to have a seasoned legal scholar in the post, given the distinct possibility that the Governor General may, as a result of successive minority Parliaments, be called upon to fulfill his constitutional duties and not just unveil statues and cut ribbons.
Although Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean has served us well, and I'm sure enhanced Canada's image abroad through the passion and genuineness she brought to the job, I personally was always uneasy about the extent of her knowledge of the constitutional law end of her role in government. David Johnson will serve us well in that regard.
The committee that ultimately selected Johnson deserves our congratulations for wading through the long list of journalists, former politicians, hockey stars and even the former commander of the Starship Enterprise, to arrive at this inspired decision. |
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No vuvuzela for mandatory electronic filing |
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Written by Christopher Green
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Tuesday, 06 July 2010 00:00 |
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Trying to keep my level of excitement at fever pitch between World Cup matches, I naturally turned to the electric prose of the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, which was recently introduced before the provincial legislature. Thrill seekers will already know that it seeks to expand the gambit of the electronic filing of documents and the land title office.
We, at GreenWay, have fully embraced electronic filing over the past several years as it is fast, easy and best of all, paperless. In the bad old days of manually filing paper documents, one always had to factor in the travel time required to get the documents to the registry office. For more remote locations that travel time could be measured in days rather than hours.
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U.S. anti-cruelty to animals’ legislation declared unconstitutional |
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Written by Christopher Green
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Friday, 23 April 2010 00:00 |
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While the rest of the civilized world is riveted upon play-off hockey, Canada's national blood sport, where well-padded millionaires bludgeon each other, I've been occupying myself by reading recent constitutional law decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court (well, between periods, anyway). I was saddened to read, in the case of U.S. v Stevens, that the Crush Act, a piece of federal legislation enacted in 1999 to make illegal the making, selling or possession of materials depicting genuine acts of cruelty to animals, was struck down this week as being an unconstitutional limitation on the right of free speech.
Although the ruling was probably quite correct legalistically, as an animal lover it turns my stomach to think that perverts are now free to traffic in videos of dog fights, boar-baiting and even animal snuff flicks. |
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Cinco de Mayo |
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Written by Christopher Green
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Wednesday, 05 May 2010 09:11 |
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Brother Hal, our hard-working family law associate, is angling for a bit of time off to recover from a steady stream of acrimonious divorce files that have crossed his desk this past winter. Funny how cranky folk get during the monsoons... He has proposed that BC should adopt the US-Mexican custom of celebrating Cinco de Mayo (the "Fifth of May" for all you uni-linguists).
Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican Army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. It was, by all accounts, a surprising and unlikely success (much like some of my court battles) and is now celebrated with the imbibing of much cerveza and tequila, as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.
We at GreenWay are enthusiastically jumping on Hal's bandwagon. This Province needs more civic holidays! We haven't had a day off since Easter, and BC Day is still weeks away, and we have fewer stat holidays than most of the rest of Canada. Consider that "Family Day" is now celebrated in Ontario. We urge you to write your MLAs about it. They will be happy to receive any constituent mail that doesn't have "Damned HST" in the reference line. |
Monkey business in BC |
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Written by Christopher Green
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Thursday, 01 April 2010 00:00 |
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Talking of monkeys, which, if you've signed up for our newsletter you know we sometimes do, April 1st sees a no-joke set of stringent rules coming into force for owners of exotic pets. Which is probably all for the good, as lawyers make lousy house pets anyway. But if you've opted for a different type of dangerous primate, poisonous reptile, or just about any other 'alien' animal, you'll have to apply for the appropriate permit to keep, transport or show your furry or scaly friend. Failure to do so can land offenders jail-time and a hefty fine. Or a maul by a polar bear. |
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