U of O Watch mission, in the words of Foucault...

"One knows … that the university and in a general way, all teaching systems, which appear simply to disseminate knowledge, are made to maintain a certain social class in power; and to exclude the instruments of power of another social class. … It seems to me that the real political task in a society such as ours is to criticise the workings of institutions, which appear to be both neutral and independent; to criticise and attack them in such a manner that the political violence which has always exercised itself obscurely through them will be unmasked, so that one can fight against them." -- Foucault, debating Chomsky, 1971.

Friday, July 27, 2012

“Ambush” caused judge to withdraw from civil suit, lawyers say -- media article, St. Lewis v. Rancourt

“Ambush” caused judge to withdraw from civil suit, lawyers say -- LINK

By Neco Cockburn, The Ottawa Citizen July 26, 2012

The next day, The Ottawa Citizen updated their article to this (and added a picture):

“Ambush” caused judge to withdraw from civil suit, lawyers say

By Neco Cockburn, The Ottawa Citizen July 27, 2012

2 comments:

Interested Observer said...: Will you post the letter to the Justice Hackland referred to in the article?; July 27, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Anonymous said...: Odd headline! Seems to me that Prof Rancourt raised a reasonable concern. Judges are surely obligated to carefully avoid any apprehension of bias. This judge has recently donated money to the Universty of Ottawa --- the self same party who is funding the case against Rancourt that judge is adjudicating. Adding to an apprehension of potential bias --- the law firm that represents U of O has a special place in the heart of the judge.

While the circumstances linked to the donation and to the emotional link with the law firm warrant the utmost sympathy --- the loss of a son ---- that does not change a conclusion that the aforementioned raise concerns over an apprehension (what I understand.to be a perception of possible bias, which is different from asserting that the circumstances have biased the judge) of bias.

In my view the judge should not have agreed to hear the case, given the reasonable apprehension of bias. At the very least he should have disclosed the obvious potential for bias. He did not. Instead the judge takes great umbrage with the cheek of a citizen raising such a concern. Huffy perhaps that someone outside of the old boys network would dare to have their own view? It seems the Ottawa Citizen is similarly offended! Wow!; July 28, 2012 at 9:18 AM

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Libertarian Values that Create an Opening... (no one else?!)

"Within the unique university context, the most crucial of all human rights are the rights of freedom of speech, academic freedom and freedom of research. And we affirm that these rights are meaningless unless they entail the right to raise deeply disturbing questions and provocative challenges to the cherished beliefs of society at large and of the university itself. It is this human right to radical, critical teaching and research with which the University has a duty above all to be concerned; for there is no one else, no other institution and no other office, in our modern liberal democracy, which is the custodian of this most precious and vulnerable right of the liberated human spirit." --Statement of Institutional Purpose, University of Toronto.

U OF O WATCH

U of O Watch mission, in the words of Foucault...

U of O Watch mission, in the words of Socrates...

video of president allan rock at work

Friday, July 27, 2012