Conrad Black comes to Canada

MONEY TALKS – CONRAD BLACK CAME BACK

(The Lethbridge Herald, May 5, B2)

People love money so they respect someone who made lots of it. Now, no matter how you look at it, the ease with which Conrad Black came back into Canada makes one to believe that it was money that talked. I was an immigrant in Canada fifty-five years ago. I swore to be loyal to the Crown to be a Canadian. So I know how hard it can be for some people to come to Canada. Some one with a criminal record? No chance. Forget it.

The church I was settled (‘appointed to’ in United Church terms) had been rife with conflicts for a long time. The root cause was two so-called “pillars of the church” fighting for influence in the church board. One was the best educated man in the community and the other a millionaire. It was a case of two egos in a small congregation tearing it apart. In the end, people got fed up with them and at a AGM, they elected neither of them to the board. During the private discussion that ensued, one person commented about the millionaire,”But he made lots of money,” as though to say that wealth absolved all the griefs he caused. He was ready to forgive the trouble-maker and to bring him back to the board because he was rich. Money talks.

Do you think it’s why the Canadian justice system goes easy on white collar criminals? Americans are tougher. Black would never have had to go to jail in Canada for what he did. And the public don’t think it is a serious problem for white collar criminals walking free on the street. They wear nice clothes and live in a nice house. Even when they get drunk, they do so away from the eyes of the public. The poor who dress shabbily have no chance, especially when they look like they had too much drink. Charlie Chaplin said, “If you kill one person, you are a murderer. If you kill hundreds, you are a hero.” Likewise, if you steal a hundred bucks, you go to jail and can not come to Canada, but if you steal millions you can come back into a mansion in Toronto.

Is the new Criminal Code after the Parliament passed the omnibus bill tougher on financial crime? I don’t think so. You can steal from a widow and stay free. Money still talks.MONEY TALKS – CONRAD BLACK CAME BACK

(The Lethbridge Herald, May 5, B2)

People love money so they respect someone who made lots of it. Now, no matter how you look at it, the ease with which Conrad Black came back into Canada makes one to believe that it was money that talked. I was an immigrant in Canada fifty-five years ago. I swore to be loyal to the Crown to be a Canadian. So I know how hard it can be for some people to come to Canada. Some one with a criminal record? No chance. Forget it.

The church I was settled (‘appointed to’ in United Church terms) had been rife with conflicts for a long time. The root cause was two so-called “pillars of the church” fighting for influence in the church board. One was the best educated man in the community and the other a millionaire. It was a case of two egos in a small congregation tearing it apart. In the end, people got fed up with them and at a AGM, they elected neither of them to the board. During the private discussion that ensued, one person commented about the millionaire,”But he made lots of money,” as though to say that wealth absolved all the griefs he caused. He was ready to forgive the trouble-maker and to bring him back to the board because he was rich. Money talks.

Do you think it’s why the Canadian justice system goes easy on white collar criminals? Americans are tougher. Black would never have had to go to jail in Canada for what he did. And the public don’t think it is a serious problem for white collar criminals walking free on the street. They wear nice clothes and live in a nice house. Even when they get drunk, they do so away from the eyes of the public. The poor who dress shabbily have no chance, especially when they look like they had too much drink. Charlie Chaplin said, “If you kill one person, you are a murderer. If you kill hundreds, you are a hero.” Likewise, if you steal a hundred bucks, you go to jail and can not come to Canada, but if you steal millions you can come back into a mansion in Toronto.

Is the new Criminal Code after the Parliament passed the omnibus bill tougher on financial crime? I don’t think so. You can steal from a widow and stay free. Money still talks.

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