Posted: Wednesday, 7 July 2010

The Canadian Labour Congress writes to Stephen Harper and Dalton McGuinty demanding an independent public inquiry with the federal government into police response to events that took place in Toronto in the lead up to and during the G20 Summit in Toronto.

Letter to Stephen Harper:

Dear Prime Minister:

On behalf of the Canadian Labour Congress and its 3.2 million members, I am writing to urge you to conduct an independent public inquiry with the Province of Ontario into police response to events that took place in Toronto in the lead up to and during the G20 Summit in Toronto.

Canadians are rightly concerned about the reaction of police to acts of vandalism that took place on June 26th in Toronto. While we do not condone acts of violence and vandalism, we are concerned about the subsequent events and actions by police that resulted in severely curtailing the civil liberties that Canadians cherish.

A civilian review as recently announced by the Toronto Police Services Board is simply not sufficient to address a security effort that spanned multiple jurisdictions. An independent inquiry is required into the actions of the police during the G20, including the mass arrests and detentions of hundreds of protesters and by-standers - most of whom were released without charge. The news reports of beatings by police, conditions in the detention area, and the denial to detainees of access to legal counsel are very disturbing and must be investigated.

The public has a right to know how this transpired and that if mistakes were made, the appropriate bodies will be held accountable. The freedoms and civil liberties Canadians hold dear cannot be so easily trampled.

The Canadian Labour Congress urges your government to conduct an independent inquiry jointly with the Province of Ontario into security operations at the G20 Summit, including but not limited to a review of raids and mass arrests, the use of preventative detention, use of force against protesters and the circumstances surrounding the expansion of arbitrary police powers under the Public Works Protection Act.

Sincerely,

Kenneth V. Georgetti
President

Letter to Dalton McGuinty:

Dear Premier:

On behalf of the Canadian Labour Congress and its 3.2 million members, I am writing to urge you to conduct an independent public inquiry with the federal government into police response to events that took place in Toronto in the lead up to and during the G20 Summit in Toronto.

Canadians are rightly concerned about the reaction of police to acts of vandalism that took place on June 26th, in Toronto. While we do not condone acts of violence and vandalism, we are concerned about the subsequent events and actions by police that resulted in severely curtailing the civil liberties that Canadians cherish.

A civilian review, as recently announced by the Toronto Police Services Board, is simply not sufficient to address a security effort that spanned multiple jurisdictions. An independent inquiry is required into the actions of the police during the G20, including the mass arrests and detentions of hundreds of protesters and by-standers - most of whom were released without charge. The news reports of beatings by police, conditions in the detention area, and the denial to detainees of access to legal counsel are very disturbing and must be investigated.

We are further concerned about the regulatory expansion of police powers under the Public Works Protection Act that your government passed, that had the effect of trampling on civil liberties and appears to be inconsistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights.

The public has a right to know how this transpired and that if mistakes were made, the appropriate bodies will be held accountable. The freedoms and civil liberties Canadians hold dear cannot be so easily trampled.

The Canadian Labour Congress urges your government to conduct an independent inquiry jointly with the federal government into security operations at the G20 Summit, including but not limited to, a review of raids and mass arrests, the use of preventative detention, use of force against protesters and the circumstances surrounding the expansion of arbitrary police powers under the Public Works Protection Act.

Sincerely,

Kenneth V. Georgetti
President