Mother of All Accommodations War Brewing

Successive Quebec governments, both Liberal and PQ have been reluctant to impose the rule of law upon certain Jewish fundamentalist sects, lest they be tarred with the hackneyed label of antisemitism and so successive generations of Hasidic schools have been allowed to flout the education laws by teaching an ultra-orthodox Jewish religious syllabus to the exclusion of education ministry mandated courses.

Recently the government has been gently prodding the pirate schools to get in line by adding the mandatory courses, even if it means extending the school week into Sunday. Some schools have reluctantly agreed to implement these changes but whether they actually will is an open question.

Last week, one Hasidic school told the education ministry to take a hike.

In an article on the CBC news web site  entitled Jewish school refuses to expand curriculum, the Yeshiva Toras Moshe told the education department that they are at an impasse and will not comply with the education department's demand that they add more non-religious content, including the dreaded ECR, a course designed to expose children to other religions and ideas.

The Education department has indicated that it will seek an injunction in October to compel the school to knuckle under, but Alex Wertzberger, a spokesman for the Yeshiva said they will be ready to fight the order.

Most cults (like the Amish, or the polygamists in British Columbia) that disavow themselves from mainstream society, flee to the countryside where they set up compounds where they can go about their business far from the prying eyes of organized society. There is one such Hasidic cult set up in a compound in Boisbriand, just north of Montreal. This group is so radical that the Montreal Hasids are blasphemers by comparison.

But the Hasids of Montreal are different, carving out enclaves in urban neighbourhoods, such as the Outremont district of Montreal, where they regularly come into conflict with neighbours because of their propensity to ignore municipal bylaws.

While feigning piety and good intentions, Hasids are tough. When faced with legal action in response to their lawbreaking, they engage in expensive guerrilla legal tactics that are designed to sap the energy and weaken the resolve of opponents, until a satisfactory compromise is reached, one that always favours the Hasids.

This time the Hasids may be up against more than they bargained for. The debate in Quebec surrounding reasonable accommodations is running at fever pitch and like Naima, the Hasid's intransigence may be their undoing.

Past legal victories are likely bolstering the Hasid's perception that they will prevail, but this time they will have the attention of the entire province and the appetite for compromise is nonexistent.

If the issue goes to court,  the Hasids will face the wrath of a hostile media and a vengeful public, spoiling for a fight. Just ask Naima.

There will be no backing down, the public won't allow it and the government will have to play the hand through. The Hasids can engage the likes of Julies Grey or Alan Dershowitz, but it won't help.

No court will find in their favour.

Interesting the  Yeshiva Toras Moshe held a 27th anniverary dinner last year in which they put out a tribute pamphlet.
Leafing through the document, I found this chilling passage that repeated a story which occurred over a century ago in Russia, perhaps a portend of the school's future here in Quebec.

Creepy eh?

The question remains, one or two years down the road, what will the Hasids do when they lose? For the Hasids, complying is not an option.

They will either ignore the judgment, pretend that they are complying, but ignore the judgment all the same, or they can pick up their roots and move.

It's a tough call,  but I going to go with door number two.

Can Bastarache Inquiry Save Jean Charest?

It's likely that loose cannon, Marc Bellemare, did Premier Jean Charest a huge favour in accusing him and his government of exercising undue influence concerning the choice of provincial judges. Mr. Bellemare has publicly alleged that the Premier and other Liberal cabinet ministers put varying degrees of pressure on his office in regards to the appointment of three specific judges to the bench, during his short tenure as Minister of Justice.

The effect of the allegations shifted the political battleground away from the scandal embroiling the government concerning the charges that the construction industry has been making large donations, both legal and illegal, to the Liberal party and receiving benefits in return. The opposition and the press have been clamouring for a public inquiry, while the government has been stubbornly refusing. With the pressure building each week, the government's attempt to sweep the issue under the rug was faltering badly, that is, until the fresh allegations stole the headlines.

And so Mr. Bellemare has made a strategic error and thrown the Liberals a life preserver.
In accusing the government of influencing the appointment of judges, the much more dangerous and potentially disastrous construction scandal, while not forgotten, is pushed somewhat to the rear.

Even the dumbest boxer understands that once you have badly injured an opponent's left flank, it makes no sense to attack the stronger right side. Yet that is exactly what Mr. Bellemare has done with the Parti Quebecois foolishly following. While Mr. Bellemare made a forgivable rookie mistake, there's no excuse for Madame Marois. With so many scandals brewing, the leader of the opposition decided to attack on all fronts, instead of concentrating her fire on the richest target.

From Mr. Charest's reaction and renewed vigour, it's safe to say that he feels a lot more comfortable defending himself on these new allegations then that of the construction scandal.

When it comes to choosing judges, we'd like to believe that the choice is a cut and dried process, bereft of political interference, but it is anything but and always has been, regardless of the government.

Appointments to the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court of Canada is the ultimate example of a politically partisan appointment. Choosing a candidate that shares the ruling government's ideology is de rigueur and nobody complains about the process.

And so it is normal that a Conservative government appoints a judge who shares a conservative point of view and a Liberal government chooses a liberal-minded candidate. When the Liberals were last in power, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, appointed ultra-leftie/feminist/human rights advocate, Rosalie Abella to the bench, over the snickers of court watchers who complained that she was under-qualified and had benefited from a close personal relationship between the Cotler and Abella families.

At least an appointment to the Supreme Court pays ideological dividends to the appointing government, as issues of national interest are decided upon. An appointment to a provincial lower court, has no such benefits. Cases are mostly mundane and those of import usually find themselves pushed up the ladder, eventually landing in the Supreme Court.
Once named, a judge is completely free of influence and is immune to pressure. A judge must recuse himself from any case where he is acquainted or had a relationship with the parties involved and so there's really not much political or personal capital to be earned in such an appointment.

Judge Andree Ruffo, perhaps Quebec's most famous Youth Court judge candidly admitted that because she was apolitical, she was passed over for selection by the PQ for a judgeship and didn't get appointed  until the Liberals came into power when she benefited from a personal contact in the Premier's office.

How did she repay her benefactor?
By humiliating the Minister of Health and Social Services by having two children driven to the office of the Minister because there was no place for them in the youth protection system. For an interesting piece about Judge Ruffo and the so-called independence of our judiciary, read an interesting article HERE.

The PQ should tread lightly in condemning the Liberals in relation to the naming of judges. In 1995 during the PQ government's term in office, the late wife of then cabinet minister Bernard Landry, Lorraine Laporte, was appointed to the bench with Landry telling anyone who would listen that he had no idea that she was being considered.

And so it is not strange that no one in the PQ is bringing up the fact that Marie-Claude Gilbert,  the wife of Sam Hamad, Minister of Employment, was appointed to the bench last year. The Liberal minister also claimed that he learned of the appointment the day it was announced.
Perhaps Mr. Hadad and Mr Landry share the same media consultant....

Norman MacMillan a cabinet minister in the Charest government is unapologetic and admits that he made a recommendation to Marc Bellemare to consider one of his constituents, the son of a campaign fund-raiser, in relation to a judgeship.
Mr. McMillan considers it part of his job and sees nothing wrong with the practice of making representations on behalf of constituents. His frank and unabashed admission, goes to the heart of Bellemare's claim of undue influence.

Most commentators are under the mistaken impression that the decision to appoint judges resides exclusively with the justice minister. This is not true. According to the law, the responsibility lies with the government. It make sense that the justice minister runs point, but nevertheless, it is completely legal for the Premier or other cabinet ministers to make their views known. 

The final decision was Bellemare's to make and unless he has concrete proof that money changed hands or that he was absolutely ordered to select a certain candidate, he is doomed to fail in his pursuit of Charest over the issue, unless that is, he comes up with a new bombshell or smoking gun.

Former Supreme Court Judge Michel Bastarache, who will be chairing the commission looking into the affair, has already made pronouncements that seem favourable to the position of the government. Speaking to Le Devoir,  he said;

 "There is "confusion" damaging the public discourse between "political appointment" and "partisan appointment....  Hopefully the commission will help to clarify these things."  

Mr. Bastarache has also said that he is also concerned about the kind of frenzy that has gripped the people in relation to politicians.   LE DEVOIR

As to the $700,000 defamation lawsuit launched by Mr. Charest against Mr. Bellemare, it is simply another tactic to slow down and retard the debate over the construction payola allegations and to keep the press talking about judgeships. As long as the lawsuit is alive, Mr. Bellemare will be entreated by his lawyer to make no more pronouncements against Mr. Charest. Judges take a dim view of such actions.

With a little effort from Mr. Charest's lawyers, the court action can drag on for years, certainly until after the next provincial election. If I was Mr. Charest, I would file the lawsuit in Sherbrooke, his hometown and constituency. The Court district there is just about the most backlogged jurisdiction in the province and it will be years before the case can possibly be heard!

Mr. Bellemare's motive for his unbridled assault on Mr. Charest remains a mystery and has been characterized in the press as credible because there seems to be no reason other than altruism for the attack.
Now that he's being sued, all his pronouncements will be immediately suspect and viewed as a partisan effort to cast aspersions that will help win his court case.
Well-played Mr. Charest!

Just a note about defamation suits. Actions for defamation that play out in court are rarely about reputation. Like the London press, settlements are quick when the defendant's actions are clearly defamatory.
That being said, cases bog down when the defendant holds to the bedrock principle of libel law, that truth is an absolute defence. If what one says is true, the person suing cannot win a the libel case, even if he's been defamed.

I am reminded of perhaps the most egregious miscarriage of justice in the case launched by the famous entertainer Liberace, who sued a London magazine in 1954 for implying that he was gay. The entertainer swore up and down at the trial that he wasn't a homosexual and hilariously won the case when the defendant couldn't prove otherwise. In 1982, Liberace was sued for palimony by his live-in boyfriend and he died two years later of AIDS.  Talk about nerve.

I think Mr. Charest has an excellent case and a good chance to win against Mr. Bellemare. Even if he loses or abandons the case in a couple of years, he will have already have won.

After a long and tedious process, one in which the press and the public will lose interest, Charest is likely to be vindicated by the Bastarache Commission, unless something unforeseen is revealed.

After having the Charest government on the ropes, all Mr Bellemare had to do was- nothing.
The press and the opposition had enough muck to advance the fight on the construction industry front and with the public screaming for blood, it would be a matter of time before the Premier's position became untenable.

Mr. Bellemare has already emptied his quiver of poisoned arrows and without a smoking gun, the public and the press will quickly lose interest. The cross accusations will become a case of 'he said, they said,' and with lawyers popping up every few moments to object and demand side-bars, the spectacle and TV drama will be low.

Mr. Bellemare and many on the PQ side have already come to this same conclusion and are now orchestrating a campaign to discredit the Inquiry, in general and Michel Bastarache, in person, a clear signal that even they anticipate coming out on the wrong end of the findings.

Because of Mr. Bellemare's gaffe, Mr. Charest has clawed his way back from the brink of political oblivion. He has picked himself up from the canvas after suffering a nine count and seems to be re-invigorated. 

It's still a very long shot as to whether Mr. Charest can save himself and his government, but he has been given a small window of opportunity.

It is obvious that a political rookie like Bellemare has a lot to learn from the old pro Charest.

Saguenay Mayor Leads Idiot Parade in Religious Debate

While most Anglos chuckle at the famous 'Code of Ethics' (a list of instructions for immigrants to abide by) created by the town council of the tiny hick town of Hérouxville (population 1,300, where nary an immigrant can be found,) the xenophobia can perhaps be forgiven and explained away as a product of small town ignorance and fear. An aging population, secure and proud in it's Catholic heritage and fearful of change, making a desperate attempt to keep foreign 'barbarians' from wreaking change on their idyllic town.
The town and the principle promoter of the "Code," André Drouin, have been the butt of many a joke and have been lampooned mercilessly on television these last three years. 
But lately the pendulum is swinging back and many Quebeckers are coming around to the idea that immigrants must be 'controlled' and so André Drouin is making a comeback, much to the consternation of some, much to the delight of others.

Mr. Drouin's strategy, which is shared by other like thinkers, is to declare the State 'Secular' or as they say in French - 'laïc' . The theory being, that the government and it's institutions should be officially neutral and take no stance for or against religion, nor promote any particular belief. 
This philosophy is being advanced by a rainbow coalition of groups that are as politically diverse as can be imagined, with orthodox Christians teaming up with devout atheists.

The secular state would bar employees from wearing religious jewellery or garb while dispensing government services and would interdict the public from doing the same, while attending school  or otherwise receiving certain government services.

The policy would not only bar veils but the very benign hijad,(a scarf worn by some observant Muslims) and the 'kippa' (a small skullcap worn by observant Jews) and the turban and kirpan worn by some Sihks. 

The government and it's subsidiaries would also be barred from offering any sort of accommodation to those asking for exceptional treatment based on religious preferences (example; a female asking to be treated by a female doctor only, in a hospital.)

While the policy has a veneer of fairness, with all religions ostensibly treated equally, it is far from the case. Christians no longer wear large ostentatious crosses or religious robes and need no accommodations because society is ordered to Christian standards. So while the rules apply equally to all, they only affect non-Christian orthodox citizens.

Very clever, but not foolproof.
All is fair, until one asks Mr Drouin and friends to limit their Christian symbolism and customs in society. That is going too far.....

Therein lies the fatal flaw in Quebec's quest for a secular state. It isn't a secular state that is being described, it is a secular "Christian" state that is being proposed.


Mr Drouin is  a pipsqueak, but he is no longer alone in describing a society that outwardly bans all religion in public, but maintains the Catholic nature of Quebec society.

***************

Up in the backwaters of the Lac Saint Jean region, two hours north of Quebec City, via a miserable and dangerous highway, sits the isolated and frozen city of Saguenay. Like many outlying districts, the region is largely divorced from the distant melting pot that is the metropolitan region of Montreal.
The separation between the two regions goes beyond distance, the cultural chasm is glaringly wide.
The Saguenéens remain incredulous to the fact that Montreal has, according to them, evolved into a virtual Tower of Babel, where immigrant hoards have infected native Quebeckers, with unwelcome customs, tradition, dress and religious practices, altering and abasing the very fabric of Quebec society.

To say that there isn't much ethnic diversity in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region is to understate the obvious. Aside from a few Anglos who serve at the Canadian Air Force Base in Bagotville or who work at the aluminum company, the region is about as White, Catholic and French as can be, with 96% of the people identifying themselves as Francophone Catholics and 3% identifying themselves as having no religion. 

The city of Saguenay is no Herouxville,  after amalgamating the towns of Chicoutimi, La Baie and Jonquiere back in 2002, the population rose to close to 150,000 people.

That being said, less than 300 residents are black and the city boasts a measly 150 Baptists, Anglicans, United Church and  Pentecostals, each. As for the Jewish presence in the region, Jews are fond of describing an area where few Jews live as an area where "You couldn't raise a Minyan." (Judaism requires a quorum (minyan) of 10 Jewish males to perform religious services.)
There are 42 Catholic Churches in Saguenay and no other religion maintains an official house of worship.
The community is so lily White and Christian that it's hard to believe that the city's 125 Muslims are the object of close scrutiny by a nervous Catholic majority, who are starting to rumble that measures should be enacted to protect the region from those disruptive influences seen in Montreal.

If you think this attitude is a bit of an over reaction, listen to the idiocy spouted by the Mayor of the city, Jean Tremblay. Every third family in Lac St. Jean seems to be named Tremblay and perhaps his moronic pronouncements can be explained by some form of inbreeding, otherwise it's hard to fathom the nonsense which he espouses.
Remember, Mr. Tremblay is not mayor of some hick town like Herouxville, the city of Saguenay  is the 22nd largest city in Canada.

Mr Tremblay, a devout Catholic went before a parliamentary committee pleading that the veil be banned everywhere except in personal residences.

When asked if his position supporting a secular state in any way conflicts with his habit of reciting Christian prayers before city council meetings, he used some nifty logic to support his position.
"If there was no prayer, it would be the atheists imposing their will on the majority and that wouldn't be fair." At any rate he continued, "everybody likes the prayer and nobody objects." When asked if he'd accept it if a Muslim was to roll out a carpet and pray alongside, he was unequivocal. "It would be too much of a show, but if we were all Muslims, it would be different."

Some other pearls of wisdom from the good mayor;

"Catholics are not superior to atheists, but  I prefer Catholics, and wish that  everyone would be Catholic..."

"We should accept some religious customs, but not others and certainly not just in public buildings"

And so in Saguenay, Christmas trees and other decorations including manger scenes shall be erected on city property and street lamps will be decorated with Christmas lights. All paid for by the city and erected by city workers.

In the city of Montreal almost a million dollars in public money will be spent on refurbishing the giant
crucifix on Mont-Royal and all of this in a perfectly secular society!

Here's a translation of a letter written to Quebec City's LeSoleil newspaper and is indicative of the twisted logic that is surfacing in the religion debate.

"If we are to assume that the laws should reflect the will of the people, one wonders why seculars seek to impose their ill-timed views so ardently.

What people want is secular Catholicism. That is to say, that all symbols of the Catholic religion are to be maintained everywhere, but symbols of other religions not be allowed to spread.

This is the will of  people which must be respected. It need not be reformed, corrected, clarified by the condescending elite. The good people want to maintain the visibility of the Catholic religion exclusively, even if it displeases the minorities who must conform to the will of the founding people." Réjean Labrie, Québec

And so is born the oxymoronic term "CATHOLIC SECULARISM" a term I can only define as a society that is officially religiously neutral,  EXCEPT that the Catholic heritage is to be respected and nurtured to the exclusion of other religions.

Hmmm...... 

The logic employed by Quebeckers to argue for more than their fair share in Canada has always confounded Anglophones in the rest of Canada.

So too is the argument for a CATHOLIC SECULAR state.
It makes perfect sense to Quebeckers but defies all logic to others.

French vs. English Volume 12

'Fat Cats' Rile Journalist

A Ottawa sportswriter accuses the newest entry into Intercounty Baseball League, a semiprofessional Ontario  baseball called the 'FAT CATS 'of acting contemptuously towards Ottawa Francophones by giving the team a unilingual English name.

Militants celebrate historic victory over  KFC PFK

The Réseau de résistance du Québécois (RRQ) is  claiming victory  over Bay Street and  Colonel Sanders. (notwithstanding that he's been dead for quite a while now.) The militant organization has a history of intimidation by hinting at violence. In a letter addressed to the owners of two Gatineau restaurants, the RRQ demanded that English be removed from any signage in the stores, as well as the removal of a "Help Wanted" sign in English. The letter starts off by invoking the spirit of Camille Laurin, father of the infamous Bill 101

"Your KFC restaurants in Gatineau, on Boulevard St-Joseph Boulevard Greber, have bilingual signs which is contrary to the spirit and letter of the Charter of the French language....

...The RRQ refuses the occupation of Quebec by the neocolonial power in Ottawa and the owners of Bay Street, including yourself...."

 As to the bilingual "Help Wanted sign;

".... by advertising in English that you are recruiting staff, you indicate that you plan to hire people who speak English but not French."

The owners of the two restaurants removed the offending words to much back-slapping and joy over the RRQ. A great victory!!!

St. Lazare stiffs English School Board

"A war of words has erupted over land deals for schools off the western tip of the island that has the Lester B. Pearson School Board suggesting the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion acted in bad faith.

Lester B. Pearson School Board chairman Marcus Tabachnick says when they were looking for land in Vaudreuil-Dorion for a new school, they had asked about the site at Jean Beliveau and Cité des Jeunes. They were told it wasn't available. Flash forward to early last month when that same land was being offered to the French-language Trois Lacs school board."  more at CJAD

Sun Setting on Quebec City
I don't know why some designer proposed this logo for Quebec City entitled "Québec - Capitale française d'Amérique" 
It's a view of the Chateau Frontenac facing the West, where the sun is  clearly depicted as setting.

I'm not sure if the idea of the sun setting on the French Capital of North America is the message that the artists intended. Link 

 

Multiculturalism vs. Interculturaism

I must say, I never heard of the term Interculturalism, but apparently it has become a big topic of conversation amongst the 'you know whos.' We all are aware that French language militants are vehemently opposed to the concept of multiculturalism, where all cultures are valued and promoted equally. This longtime Canadian concept is considered poison in Quebec, where the 'melting pot' theory, where all newcomers are assimilated into the common culture is considered the only politically correct option. Interculturalism is a term now being bandied about and is explained as;

People having the right to maintain an affiliation with one's ethnic group and the right for cultural and religious differences to be displayed in the public domain. However, the entire society must adhere to the same constitution of fundamental rights and obligations, with no exception. Wikipedia

Hmmm...  Just so you know, language militants are dead set against this concept too.....
P.S.  Who has time to think about this stuff??

En nombre de Padre, de Hijo y de espiritu santo.

The diocese of Montreal is no longer able to provide enough Priests for its churches, even considering that church attendance has collapsed to the point that only about 6% of Francophone Catholics attend church weekly. The Church is graduating less than 2 priests on average per year, a calamitous decline that even out paces fading church attendance.
It won't be long before the church will be forced to recruit from abroad, South America in all likelihood.  Spanish lessons anyone?

Anglos squeezed out of Cegep

It seems that demand is so heavy to get into English Cegeps that the selection criteria has been raised considerably.
The increase in applications to English CEGEPs this fall is double the hike at French CEGEPs and schools are becoming more selective. With 18% of the student body Francophone and 25% Allophone, Anglophone students are finding it harder to get in because of increased competition.

"Everybody in the group of English colleges is very, very concerned about how do we ensure that we maximize access to education for kids that have graduated from the English system," said Gilbert Héroux, the director general of Vanier College. Gazette

Coming Soon--More Supreme Court Bashing

It seems that a group of parents in Drummondville who are opposed the the teaching of the Ethics & Religion course in Quebec public schools are going to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn decisions handed down in the same matter by the Quebec Superior Court and the Quebec Appeals Court.
Both courts agreed with the government that it was within their right to make the course in religious diversity mandatory for all students.
For the Supreme Court it will be another no-win situation. If the Supremos decide that the Quebec courts were right, parents will hold the "English" court responsible and will likely demonstrate against a foreign court that dictates over religious instruction in Quebec.
If the Court overturns the decision, other groups will take to the streets as well, blaming the Court for denying the will of the Quebec judicial system.

Now Premiere Charest has announced that he will appeal the decision by the federal government to create a national agency to regulate stock markets all the way to the Supreme Court.. For Mr. Charest, it is a win/win situation, regardless of the outcome. A win would please nationalists and a loss would please nationalists, as well. Huh?

Are Quebeckers/Francophones over or under-represented in the NHL?

It's hard to believe, but on one single web page on vigile.net (a nationalist/separatist web site) both arguments are made.
Yup... The top half of the page features an article by Louis Fournier, called "A strong contingent of 91 players from Quebec and Francophones outside Quebec" which details how well Quebeckers and Francophones are doing in the NHL.

"This number (91) represents a high percentage of 11% of the 800 players who participated....NHL"

"15% of the 100 best scorers in the league this season are players from Quebec and Francophones"

Immediately after this article, sharing the page, is an invitation to a  review of Bob Sirois' "Le Quebec mis en échec"a book that details how Quebeckers and Francophones are systematically discriminated against by the NHL.

"The figures  support  the sensitive issue of discrimination against Quebec hockey players "

Yup, I promise you it's true. Go over and check it out. vigile.net

Earl Jones Update

Not much has been said about Earl Jones' stay in prison and I haven't read anything in the newspapers, so I thought I'd give everybody a little update, based on information I've developed from a source who knows.

First of all, Earl is out of the infirmary, where he spent a good two months. Diagnosis- Cancer. What type and how deadly? Don't know, but he seems to be on the mend.

He's currently an inmate in a prison in St. Anne des Plaines, a MINIMUM SECURITY facility. The prison houses about 165 prisoners who sleep in two large dorms (like army barracks) but eight get to live in apartments. Guess where Earl is living? Yup, in an apartment! He scored one of the eight places in a condo like apartment.
In fact, he is already leaving the prison for escorted shopping trips, buying food which he can cook up in his own digs.

Tough gig, eh!

Here's a definition from corrections Canada as to what constitutes a minimum security prison.

• The institution perimeter is defined but usually there are no walls or fences. There are no armed correctional officers, no towers, no razor wire or electronic surveillance equipment.
• Restrictions on movement, association and privileges are minimal. Inmates are non-violent and pose very limited risk to the safety of the community. Many are on work-release programs that allow them to hold jobs during the day.
• Inmates show the desire and ability to get along responsibly with fellow inmates with little or no supervision.

What Fun!!!!!! Need a vacation?

Sounds a lot better than the rooming house where Earl was living before being sent to jail.

He is likely to be released some 18 months from now, right before next Christmas, serving out less than one-sixth of his sentence.Yup......

In the meantime he continues to collect his  social security check, but his lawyers are grabbing it up for the fees he ran up during trial.

Earl Jones stole about $50 million dollars from about 150 clients.

Broken down by numbers, it means that for each individual client bilked by Earl, (each of which being robbed of an average of $300,000,)  he will spend approximately four days in jail.

Canadian justice at its best!