Law Union News

Year Published:  1978
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX826

A report on the activities of the Law Union, a group of socialist and progressive lawyers, law students and legal workers.

Abstract: 
The Law Union of Ontario is a group of socialist and progressive lawyers, law students and legal workers. Within its structure, there are groups working on health and safety questions, workman's compensation and immigration. Among other issues the national security group had, as its main activity, a presentation to the McDonald Commission investigating wrongdoing by the RCMP. In their presentation, they argued that there was a conflict of interest among the members of the commission arising from their very close connections with the present government through the Liberal Party. The intention of the group, as they claim, was to expose the commission hearings as a white-wash of the RCMP and of the government.
However the application to the Federal Court for a discontinuation of the inquiry on the basis of an "apprehension of bias" was disallowed and the group has since decided not to appeal. In rejecting the application the court ruled that, even if there were bias on the part of the Commissioners, this would be immaterial to their objectives. In this issue of their news tabloid, they present their reasons for originally presenting the application and the reasons given for and against appealing the decision of the court. They feel, ultimately, that in having exposed the question of bias in the commission they have cast a cloud over its work which should affect its findings.