Ontario: Govt overthrown?

[zodiac <zodiac@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is just too good not to pass along...

There is an ongoing inquiry into why riot cops beat up strikers outside
the legislature (seat of the Ontario government, called Queens Park).
Something interesting developed last week during testimony.

There are two ways this news item is potent:

    1) It shows how ludicrous the Tory government is, fearing it is
       going to fall all the time (it charged 4 students with
       "intimidating the legislature" last Feb); and

    2) it simply introduces the notion of "overthrowing the government"
       to these workers... and the general public. Which made for a
       very electric day into the court house. ;-)

I had a good laugh when reading it. Sorry I couldn't upload it earlier,
but work has been hell these last two weeks.

Ken.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                FORCE USED TO PREVENT 'OVERTHROW' PROBE TOLD
                 OPP commander feared collapse of government

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                      by
                                  JACK LAKEY
                                STAFF REPORTER
                           June 8 Toronto Star p A7


    The head of the police riot squad that beat up striking workers at
    Queen's Park says physical force was needed because the provincial
    government could have been "overthrown," an inquiry has heard.

    If the Progressive Conservative goveminent couldn't get all of its
    members into the Legislature March 18, it could have lost a vote
    and been subjected to a non-confidence motion, OPP Inspector Jay
    Hope said yesterday.

    With the spring session starting at 1:30 p.m., Hope said he thought
    it imperative to get all members in before then.

    Lawyer Peter Howard, counsel to the commission of inquiry probing
    the violence, asked Hope: "What was so vital about having all the
    MPPs in by that time?"

    Hope replied: "It was my understanding that by not having all the
    MPPs in that perhaps the business of the House would not be
    conducted.

    "And more importantly -- potentially -- the overthrow, if you will,
    of the government was at risk.

    With 82 of the 130 seats in the Legislature and no legislation on
    which to vote, the Tory government was in no danger of a
    non-confidence even if all of its members couldn't get in.

    "You knew that wasn't in the cards -- that there were sufficient
    MPPs in so that the overthrow of the govern ment wasn't a real
    possibility -- or did you?" Howard asked Hope.

                               RALLY TURNED UGLY

    Hope said he "wasn't doing anything in terms of pressuring people
    to have it happen" by 1:30 p.m.

    Howard then asked if the government had told him it was in danger
    of losing a vote and needed more members in right away.

    "I didn't have any discussions with members of the Conservative
    caucus or any persons in government," Hope replied.

    The five-week strike by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union
    peaked March 18 with a rally of about 5,000 people at Queen's Park

    The event turned ugly after some politicians couldn't get in.

    The OPP riot squad twice beat a path through picket lines to get
    Tory MPPs in...

    Five people were injured in the battles between pickets and police,
    who were dressed in heavy body armor and armed with shields, pepper
    spray and billy clubs. [...]

    An argument then broken among the many lawyers at the inquiry over
    who first used the word "overthrown."

    -30-


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