| Goodbye, Justice L'Heureux-Dubé
Justice
Claire L'Heureux-Dubé is retiring from the Canadian Supreme
Court. Yesterday, May 6, 2002, she was treated by the Ontario Bar
Association to a goodbye supper at the Toronto Hilton, with a list of speakers
including Beverly
McLachlin, Rosalie Abella, and Roy McMurtry (they are:
the Chief Justice of the Supremes, a famous Radfem Justessa of the
Ontario Court of Appeal, and the highly flexible Chief Justice of Ontario,
respectively).
L'Heureux-Dubé has been a radical feminist of the constant complainer
variety through her entire cozy career. A palpable hostility to men
runs through her rulings and opinions.
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Demonstrators appeared out front to offer our dissenting view of the
L'Heureux-Dubé record. None of us could afford a seat at the
supper, and we probably couldn't have kept supper down through the speeches,
anyway.
This photo record shows the few brave souls that gathered in front of
the Hilton to set the record straight, and say our own goodbye to a true
Canadian genius in the arts of narrow, and self-centered, compassion. |
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People were very spread out over the short half-block that we occupied
at the hotel entrance.
(Not shown: We got a lot of surprised reaction from the
lawyers and small-calibre celebrities who walked to supper from the Bay
St. law offices and the government buildings. Most just gawked as
they walked, some frowned and clucked, many smiled back. One stopped
to talk pleasantly for a few seconds, and took some literature.
These folks are probably most comfortable with their anonymity.) |
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Zorro's judicial robes were a very effective way of drawing attention.
He's thinking about getting a gang of 8 other people in robes to join
him at some future event.
For the record, Zorro (of The Children's Voice) is the person who did
most of the prodding to get people out to the demo. |
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It seems that very few people walk on Richmond Street at this time
of day, but a surprising number of those who passed by actually spoke to
us, and read the literature that HEART was passing out. |
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This is the first mystery limo. Who was in there? The opportunity
to see the occupants wasn't perfect as they entered the hotel, but none
of them looked to us like the known photographs of the lady in question.
Organized crime bosses and high court judges don't really want their
pictures taken, I guess. |
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This is possibly the best picture of HEART Chairman, Butch Windsor,
ever taken at any demonstration. He didn't actually look this good
in person.
HEART handed out a brief explanation flyer about L'Heureux-Dubé,
which said:
"The father-friendly majority of Canadian men and women have cause to
celebrate the departure of a hostile, radical feminist voice from the Canadian
Supreme Court. Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé is retiring,
and not a moment too soon.
"Fashionable hatred of men is long out of fashion. L'Heureux-Dubé
found her way swiftly to privilege and power in life, and learned nothing
from that but resentment. This kind of sullen feminist never represented
Canadian women in the past, and certainly doesn't today.
"L'Heureux-Dubé's worst offences against Canadians are probably
her efforts to turn children into the personal property of custodial parents
(mainly mothers) in divorce. It takes a studied, perverse ignorance
to maintain that children are not severely damaged by the loss and destruction
of their fathers, but that is the position that L'Heureux-Dubé repeatedly
passed down from the bench." |
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This is the second mystery limo. A taxi driver stopped in front
of this limo to observe us, and delayed it for several seconds as it tried
to enter the hotel departure area. Eventually, a security guard was
seen waving it on, and it disappeared around the block.
Herroner had nothing to fear from us, but did she detour to enter through
the loading dock? We'd like to think so. |
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A passerby was drafted into taking a picture of the demonstrators.
The result was blurred, probably by camera motion, and this is the best
that my digital photo magic can do to recover it. People are just
barely recognizeable enough for a criminal conviction, but I actually appreciate
someone taking a photo worse than mine.
(BTW, that is me, Eric Tarkington, amateur photographer, on the right.
I learned that it is hard to carry a sign, hand out literature, and work
a camera all at the same time -- we need to recruit more people!) |
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One demonstrator
requested a picture, and stood still for it.
