Canadian Heritage committee  To the question, are the courts doing what Parliament asked them to do, I would say, generally, yes, and because of that courts have become very powerful, far more so than pre-1982, and the court challenges program, through its biased funding, has distorted the legal process.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. Those who want to take a case to the courts can ask others to support them voluntarily. I trust Canadians: they will give of their time voluntarily to defend a cause they feel is just. I do understand your view, because I too am part of a linguistic minority: I was born in

Canadian Heritage committee  That is where the discrimination comes in!

Canadian Heritage committee  A very short answer is that I trust in the wisdom of Canadians and I trust in the compassion of Canadians to contribute to worthwhile court cases. Canadians know justice when they see it. What the court challenges program is—or hopefully was—is an affront, a statement of disbelie

Canadian Heritage committee  That would be very difficult. One of the main problems with the Court Challenges Program was that it provided money to defend a single viewpoint, a single perspective. However, in many cases there are more than simply one or two points of view, there are several, particularly whe

Canadian Heritage committee  Regarding your question, would we feel better or have a better ear.... I don't understand your question, but I will comment on some of the...because it sounds as though you're asking us which way we vote in the federal election, which really—

Canadian Heritage committee  I'm here today. I was invited to testify about whether or not the court challenges program should be funded, and I've given reasons why it should not be. I think your question falls outside of why I've been invited here today. Regarding some of your examples on francophone mino

Canadian Heritage committee  No. As I've stated, there are many visions of equality, and it's wrong for the government to be making decisions about handing out tax dollars to promote some and not others. I will add, because it's highly relevant, that Chief Mountain's challenge has succeeded in the absence

Canadian Heritage committee  Should this program exist at all? Is that the—?

Canadian Heritage committee  We all know that the charter has the force of law. I don't think it's something you can believe in or disbelieve in; it's a reality that the charter is present with us.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, my name is John Carpay and I am the Executive Director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation. I learned French in Quebec, at Laval University, where I did my BA in political science. I also have a law degree from the University of Calga

Justice committee  The taxpayers of Canada.

Justice committee  Can you refresh my memory on the questions?

Justice committee  What I hear repeatedly is that this program helps the poor impoverished individuals who are just unable to get any money anywhere. First of all, it's not true, because the plaintiff we're supporting, Chief Mountain, has been litigating with voluntary supporters. I think that's so

Justice committee  Everybody has the right under the charter to challenge a law that they think is not constitutional. Of course, that's hard for individuals, but we have freedom of association in this country. You can get together with other people who support the same cause, create an organizatio