Bill Blair
Ending solitary confinement in Canada’s prisons, take 2
Justin Ling: Ottawa is reappointing an expert panel—disbanded a year ago because it couldn’t do its work—to study the unconstitutional use of solitary confinement in prisons
That’ll teach you, Mark Machin. I’m just not sure what.
Paul Wells: A quasi-public official did something the government refuses to forbid. So sure, get angry. Meanwhile I keep thinking of other things you could be enraged about.
The numbers are in on solitary confinement. They’re not good.
Paul Wells: A preliminary report—which nearly didn’t happen due to government inaction—shows reform has been partial at best, with prisoners still being denied ‘meaningful human contact’
How the Nova Scotia shooting victims’ families won a public inquiry into the tragedy
Betrayed by politicians, the families forced an inquiry into the shooting. Here is how they convinced federal and provincial governments to stop dithering after months of inaction.
Bill Blair orders prison data to be turned over, but does the data even exist?
Correctional Service Canada is trying to update its inmate tracking system, while the panel tasked to study solitary confinement is still waiting for any usable information
Another farce on Bill Blair’s watch
Paul Wells: How badly do things have to go for a government-appointed panel to shut down because it got no usable data and no help from the minister?
The Nova Scotia inquiry: Maybe next time, listen first
Paul Wells: An unprecedented avalanche of public contempt got the fake inquiry turned into a real one. The question remains, what was Ottawa thinking?
The Nova Scotia shooting ‘review’ and the deafness of government
Paul Wells: Everyone was demanding a public inquiry. What we got was something zero people asked for—a toothless, rickety review panel.
Bill Blair’s long list of priorities keeps getting interrupted by crises—and his own past
Bill Blair has barely left Ottawa all year, his agenda beset by tragedy and a pandemic. Then a national debate on policing revived the former police chief’s resume, which his critics will never forget
The dark side of Canada’s coronavirus response
When it comes to protecting some of the most vulnerable—prisoners and asylum seekers—Canada is not taking any extraordinary measures
The cabinet shuffle: Trudeau channels his inner Chrétien
Paul Wells: The prime minister has put away his sunny ways in favour of darker things—and a new cabinet that is built for survival
Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet: Bill Blair’s big promotion
The PM promoted five MPs to cabinet and shuffled five others. Here’s his new team.