Check It Out: Our justice system is broken

By Joan Janzen

An actual report by police read: Intoxicated Canadian man arrested while driving a Barbie Jeep to get a slurpee. It's a bizarre report, but today's reality is equally bizarre.

Violent home invasions, daylight shootings, carjackings, extortions, and theft have become the norm in Canada. MP Arpan Khanna was interviewed on Northern Perspective, where he said, "the justice system is broken".

The Epoch Times reported a recent case which illustrates that fact, when a man in Ontario was charged after allegedly injuring an intruder in his own apartment. And MP Khanna gave the example of a woman who was murdered by her ex-partner, who had been convicted just three hours prior and released on bail. "The catch and release policies have caused chaos in our streets," he reported. MP Khanna announced he will be presenting a private members' bill -  the Jail Not Bail Act. "How many more Canadians need to suffer tragedies at the hands of convicted violent offenders released on bail?" MP Khanna asked.

Meanwhile, the government has spent over ten million dollars (funded by taxpayers) prosecuting two individuals who participated in a peaceful protest. They await a verdict which threatens to deliver an 8-year sentence, in addition to facing the confiscation of a truck, which is the livelihood of a man and his son. "We have become a country Canadian's don't recognize," the MP said.

A historical documentary about prisoner of war (POW) camps in Alberta shows a very different Canada than the one we live in today. In 1942, the cities of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat doubled their population due to the thousands of POWs they housed. Medicine Hat had up to 12,500 POWs housed in the present-day Stampede grounds. Lethbridge had the largest POW encampment in Canada with 14,000 prisoners and 36 two-storey barracks equipped with bunks. It must have been somewhat unnerving for the general population who lived close by.

A woman recalled her father's story of being captured and sent to Lethbridge in the winter of 1942, with no coat and wearing sandals. He hadn't slept in a bed for over two years and was allowed to eat as much as he wanted. That had never happened in the German military.

German-speaking WWI veterans served as translators and guards. Two hundred guards remained alert while patrolling the camp on a rotation basis from twenty-two guard towers.

One-third of the prisoners were hardcore SS officers who had volunteered for service and were trained to kill. These troublemakers were sent to Medicine Hat, where two murders of prisoners by fellow prisoners occurred.

The remaining two-thirds of the prisoners were soldiers who had been conscripted or forced into service. Prisoners who managed to climb over a 12-foot barbed wire fence into no man's land were separated from the other prisoners, but faced serious consequences from their fellow inmates if they were caught.

The son of a POW said his dad remembered taking the risk and being so thankful to live separately on the Canadian side and be protected from the other part of the camp. POWs who earned the right were employed on farms and factories. An individual remembered stories her father had shared as a former POW at Medicine Hat who had helped with harvest. He said the owner of the farm and many other businesses in the area just happened to be Jewish and treated the POWs very well. 

One guard would supervise thirty POWs while they helped harvest sugar beets. Friendly relationships were formed between guards and prisoners who were interested in learning about Canada.

In the documentary, the son of a veteran guard said his dad described it as a city within a city. Prisoners were in charge of the gardens and the distribution of food. There was an infirmary, dentists, barbers, meat cutters, shoe repair, tailors - all supplied by the men themselves. They were in charge of their own recreation, which included soccer, baseball, crafts, gymnastics, hockey, wrestling, and an orchestra. An elderly former POW said being captured and sent to an Alberta camp was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Today, our enormous bureaucracy isn't making our country safer. MP Michelle Ferreri addressed her concerns on LeDrew Three Minutes. "When I'm touring the prison in Drumheller, the correctional officers say to me - we can't enforce anything because there is legislation put forth by Corrections Canada," she reported. "So now you have mayhem."

Yet 80 years ago, two Alberta cities doubled their population with POWs, while maintaining safety and provision for everyone.

At the same time, our Canadian POWs were starved to death, thinking about food every waking moment and robbed of access to Red Cross supplies. Yet there was no thought of retaliation from the general public in Alberta, and there were no protesters chanting around the camp. Throughout the past 80 years, we've lost the values or ideology those people embraced, and we need to embrace it once again.

MP Ferreri explained why we are experiencing mayhem in Canada. "Policy is created through ideology. If you believe nobody is responsible for their actions, you change legislation to reflect that. You have to have policy that reflects consequences and restored balance."

Part of that balance was reflected in the WWII documentary's closing comment: "This story really does show in the worst of times, ideals can win out, and that human interactions and kindness can even come when we are enemies."