The Children And Families Scandal In British Columbia. Lies And Indoctrination

The solicitor general, John Les, specifically told Ted Hughes he could name the people responsible for wrongdoing. Les even wrote that down. So Ted Hughes spent a good part of his time building a case to prove he couldn’t name the people responsible. And he was paid for his time doing that. It was the biggest triumph of his investigation. “I wish to reiterate,” Hughes wrote to John Les, “that my Terms of Reference do not authorize me to inquire into, or make findings of misconduct regarding individuals….” He wrote that letter on February 10, 2006, more than half way through and after he, himself, had cut the time required for investigation. How does he get away with such posturing? Principally because the reactionary monopoly press and media back him up. They use – pardon the expression – lies and indoctrination. As we will see. But let’s take a moment to jump completely across the country to see the same game being played in Newfoundland. There, Danny Williams, premier, believes U.S. Exxon Mobile Corp. is trying to starve his government into contracts (concerning oil development) that will pauperize Newfoundland. Exxon Mobile is refusing to develop the Hebron oil properties it is sitting on. Danny Williams wants to confiscate the Hebron properties Exxon Mobile refuses to develop. He needs federal government action and assistance. But Stephen Harper governs for big, predator Private Corporations not for Newfoundlanders and other Canadians. So Stephen Harper takes sides – dramatically - and he sides with Exxon Mobile, of course. Harper says (Globe and Mail Apr 13 06 B18 reports) “the Hebron issue is strictly a commercial dispute. It should be settled through negotiations between Newfoundland and a consortium,” including Exxon Mobile. That is a lie. The dispute is not simply commercial. It is political, social, cultural, and involves international relations as well as the general economy of Newfoundland. Stephen Harper had a perfect right to say: “I urge Exxon Mobile to change its position. Canada can confiscate those properties if undeveloped, and we demand a fair deal for Newfoundlanders. It would be advisable for Exxon Mobile to reconsider its position.” But Stephen Harper said nothing like that. He backed Exxon Mobile. Stephen Harper lied, (as reported by The Globe and Mail) backing a foreign predator Private Corporation against Canadians. An oil company spokesperson praised the fact that Harper showed he works for foreign corporations. Of Stephen Harper’s strong stand taken in favour of Exxon Mobile’s position on the Hebron oil properties, what is the Globe and Mail’s headline? “Harper steers clear of Hebron fight.” “Lies and indoctrination.” The correct headline would have been: “Harper backs Exxon Mobile in fight against Newfoundland.” Back in B.C. a key matter in the Children and Families scandal occurred about two years ago. A relation of Gordon Campbell was caught wrongfully involved with money. He was charged. He was “close to” the deputy minister, who was dismissed. The minister was forced to resign. Not one word has appeared about that in the Ted Hughes Report or in any monopoly press and media story about problems in the ministry. The latest story (“lies and indoctrination”) carries on like the others. For this one we have to go to a senior political columnist I call “Gordon Campbell’s personal representative at the (CanWest Global press and media monopoly) Vancouver Sun,” Vaughn Palmer. (Apr 18 06 A3) The Campbell cabinet’s assault on the ministry of children and families, which even Ted Hughes admitted created chaos, is called by Palmer “reorganized government.” Then Palmer smoke-screens the scandal by claiming poor Ted Hughes needed a complicated, “full-scale public inquiry” in order to name names. That claim is simply untrue. (But if he thought differently, why didn’t Ted Hughes call for a “full-scale public inquiry?”) Then Vaughn Palmer edges closer to the truth. “Hughes,” he writes, “had neither the time nor the inclination to undertake such an assignment.” Pardon? Without turning a hair, Vaughn Palmer tells us Ted Hughes didn’t want the job and didn’t intend to do it properly, but accepted it anyhow. If he didn’t have the time or inclination to do the investigation, Hughes had a moral responsibility to refuse it. He didn’t refuse it, and he didn’t complete it responsibly. We have entered a madhouse. Observe. Palmer tells us Ted Hughes didn’t believe he had been given the power to name the names of wrong-doers. The solicitor general said he had that power. The solicitor general didn’t know what he was doing. Ted Hughes didn’t know what he was doing. They got all mixed up – two lawyers, one of whom had been a judge for years. When Ted Hughes said, finally, he couldn’t name names of wrong-doers, John Les said - nothing. Let’s be realistic. From the start Ted Hughes had to know what his mandate was, or he was incompetent from the start. And the same with solicitor general John Les. Hughes makes much (in his Report) of not knowing and only finding out as he was more than half way through his work. Can anyone really believe that? I would suggest no sane person can. Vaughn Palmer believes it. We are in a madhouse. Still in the madhouse. While doing his investigation, Ted Hughes tells of “two senior civil servants [who] exited during the course of his review.” “I have a feeling they didn’t go out voluntarily,” he [Ted Hughes] said, “and they didn’t go from burnout.” That is back-fence gossip. Ted Hughes was appointed by the Gordon Campbell cabinet to do an investigation and review of child protection in B.C. and of the ministry of children and families. While doing that, two senior civil servants “exited” the ministry. Ted Hughes didn’t investigate, didn’t review, didn’t ask why, didn’t ask anyone for an accounting of their exiting. Then he gossips with the press, insinuating that the people who exited (ha, ha) had dirty hands (ha ha). We are in a madhouse. What does Vaughn Palmer say about that madness and irresponsibility? Nothing. He’s covering up. Then Ted Hughes made a public statement that is so irresponsible one may fairly ask if he has become a lunatic. “I think the emphasis should be on going forward,” he said. “I would rather see money and effort and sweat put into the future than spending those kinds of efforts and dollars on looking backward just to see who is put out the door.” That statement is made by a Queen’s Council, a former judge. “Looking backward just to see who is put out the door” is, in fact, finding people who were very likely criminally negligent, people who were responsible for unnecessary child deaths, anguish, and behaviour that hasn’t even seen the light of day because of cover-up engaged in by many, now including Ted Hughes. We are talking about the horrible deaths of children and of gross irresponsibility by people now in places of the highest trust: perhaps Gordon Campbell, perhaps minister Stan Hagan, perhaps others. We are talking about necessary expenditure that has nothing to do with spending in the ministry. We are talking about maintaining justice and lawful behaviour. “Forget it”, Ted Hughes says, and yawns. In fact, Ted Hughes is saying, by implication, that there are probably criminals in the Gordon Campbell cabinet and in the Ministry of Children and Family Development. But forget it. What does Vaughn Palmer say about that outrageous statement from Ted Hughes? Nothing. Of course. Like the reporters and columnists before him, Gordon Campbell’s personal representative at the Vancouver Sun works to protect the Gordon Campbell cabinet. He writes under a column headline that is intended to make readers believe the Campbell cabinet wanted Ted Hughes to do a thorough job. That is false. The headline is completely misleading. “Hughes deftly rebuffs Liberal ploy to get him to play the blame game.” For Vaughn Palmer seeking out wrong-doers – perhaps criminals – in highest trust positions is “the blame game”. Even to insinuate (as the headline does) that the Campbell cabinet wanted Hughes to investigate fully is to falsify the situation. “Lies and indoctrination.” “Pretend with me,” Vaughn Palmer seems to be saying. “Pretend what I say is serious. Pretend it isn’t all cover-up, sham, journalistic horse manure. Pretend Ted Hughes is as stupid as he makes out. Pretend John Les is as stupid as he seems. Pretend I’m really dumb. Pretend criminal activity supervised by cabinet ministers should be ignored.” Pretend. [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on April 25, 2006]