I retired after spending 24 years as a Crown Prosecutor, trying to make St. Albert and Alberta a safe place for people like A.L. Smith. I have seldom seen such a complete lack of understanding of our Canadian criminal law system as this letter demonstrates. Perhaps Alberta's education system is to blame.
Ms. Prithipaul is no academic. She is a hard-working, front-line lawyer who has always acted as if her job was to protect every person's rights – including A.L. Smith's. Perhaps Smith would prefer that his/her rights not be protected?
Smith calls the Charter "flawed" and says it needs amending. (S)he provides no details as to the flaws, nor the amendments required.
The only flaws I have seen have been Stephen Harper's attempts to drive up the falling crime rate, while calling his new laws "tough on crime." And people in Alberta vote for that!
The only thing keeping us from a dictatorship has been the Charter, wise judges and hard-working lawyers like Shannon Prithipaul. A.L. Smith had better remember that when (s)he realizes that Stephen Harper wants to read his/her email – all of it, all the time.
John S. Kennedy, St. Albert
