The news report on Brett Wilson’s “Chat with Bush” is appended.
Some of you know Brett Wilson from “The Dragon’s Den” on TV. He is involved in bringing George Bush to Canada. He is going to be asking questions of Bush at the event in Saskatoon.
Brett has business interests in the oil and gas sector. And he established the Prairie Merchant Corporation.
After reading the news article (appended) it seems to me that Brett’s legal counsel might do a better job of briefing Brett. I sent him an email of encouragement.
/Sandra
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LETTER TO BRETT WILSON’S LEGAL COUNSEL
SENT: Sunday October 4th, 2009
Prairie Merchant Corporation
John Gulak, Legal Counsel
Dear John,
Brett Wilson is Managing Director and President of Prairie Merchant Corporation. Perhaps you provide legal advice to him?
Concerning George Bush’s visit to Saskatoon:
The dismay in the community has nothing to do with George Bush’s right to speak, or of people to hear what he has to say.
It is a simple question of whether we have a democracy or not, of whether the laws apply to everyone, or not.
At Law School you will have studied the idea that no one is above the law. Under the Rule of Law, no one can exempt anyone else from the application of the law.
You will have studied some international law.
Perhaps you could review some of it with Brett. He may also like to know that many people are writing to the Attorney General of Canada to insist that he uphold the rule of law in Canada.
You may know from newspaper reports that we are in conversation with the police forces regarding the arrest of George Bush. I presume that the Attorney General cannot prosecute if the police have not arrested.
The legal arguments are summarized below.
You will be able to explain to Brett Wilson that some people have a duty under the law to perform the functions of their positions. If they do not, citizens have recourse to the court system to address their failure to carry out their duties.
If there is fault in the following argument, I am anxious to know what it is.
I would be happy to forward further information to you – what the Spanish justice system is doing in relation to the war crimes of the Bush administration and some notes regarding what is being done inside the United States to bring Bush to justice. Please ask if you’d like the info.
Best wishes to you,
Sandra Finley
Saskatoon SK S7N 0L1
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If the most powerful among us are not accountable to the law, our justice system fails.
The Government of Canada has a legal duty to bar George W. Bush from Canada – as a suspected war criminal – or to prosecute him for torture once he enters Canada. The law allows no other options.
Dear Attorney General Nicholson,
George W. Bush arrives in Canada, October 20, 2009.
As you know, Canada is a signatory to international legal covenants such as the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute. As signatories we are legally bound to enforce these laws. Furthermore, Canada has enacted supporting legislation.
Under the Canadian Criminal Code, the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, and the Geneva Conventions Act, torture and other war crimes and crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world are crimes in Canada. Canada has a legal duty to prosecute such crimes. The duty to prosecute is triggered when the suspected perpetrators enter Canada.
While President of the United States, George W. Bush waged war on Iraq without credible justification, the most serious breach of International Law which prohibits wars of aggression. His government has held prisoners of war indefinitely without due process and has authorized the use of torture against many of these detainees, also in breach of international law.
To fail to apply the laws equally would be to breach your Oath of Office and to undermine the rule of law in Canada. The Attorney General does not act on directions from his colleagues or anyone else in discharging his duties in the enforcement of the law.
George W. Bush must be arrested and prosecuted.
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APPENDED
BRETT WILSON’S “CHAT WITH BUSH”, SASKATOON STAR PHOENIX
Chat with Bush
Wilson prepares for Q&A
By Jason Warick, Saskatchewan News Network
October 3, 2009
North Battleford native and Calgary entrepreneur W. Brett Wilson will be moderating the Conversation with George W. Bush at TCU Place on Oct. 21. Bush, who served as the American president from 2000 to 2008, will give a speech, followed by a 45-minute question and answer session with Wilson.
Bush is scheduled to give a similar presentation in Edmonton the day before speaking in Saskatoon and appears in Montreal the following day. Bush events in Calgary and Toronto earlier this year sold out, attracting 2,000 and 6,500 people, respectively. An organizer for the Saskatoon event declined to release Bush’s speaking fee.
Wilson, a University of Saskatchewan graduate, is a panelist on the CBC television show Dragon’s Den, where inventors and businesspeople pitch ideas to the panel of “dragons” in the hope they will invest.
StarPhoenix reporter Jason Warick spoke to Wilson Friday.
The SP: Why did you want to be part of this event?
Wilson: I am fascinated by any and all world leaders — (Bill) Clinton, Bush, the Dalai Lama and other people of that calibre. I think anyone and everyone can learn from them, whether you agree with them or not.
The SP: George W. Bush is one of the most famous people in the world. Are you nervous?
Wilson: I am excited nervous, not scared nervous. For me, it’s like a sporting competition, where you’re about to go into one of the most interesting games you’ve ever been involved in. This guy (Bush) is a professional, through and through. I’m not looking to create a Frost-Nixon event here. I’m looking to see if we can’t engage Bush in (a) conversation that people in the audience find fascinating.
The SP: Have you thought about how you’ll address him?
Wilson: You know, I suspect there’s a formal way of doing it. I grew up in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, so it’s not something we put on — you know, how do you address the prime minister. If memory serves me, I believe he’s entitled to be called “president” all of his life. It would be President Bush or Mr. President.
The SP: George W. Bush made a series of monumental, controversial decisions during his eight years in office. How will you prepare for the conversation?
Wilson: Certainly I’ve been online, and spent some time with a couple of political scientists, just making sure that I have a rough briefing. I’m not looking to get into a debate with him, but rather to encourage the conversation in a way that is meaningful for everyone there.
The SP: Do you think George W. Bush was a good president?
Wilson: You know, I don’t think my views on that are relevant. The important thing is I respect him. I will say my respect for him grew measurably after the event I saw him do in Calgary (in March). I thought he was far more articulate than the press has given him credit for and he had a compelling story, defending the actions he took as being in the best interests of the country that he was elected to run.
The SP: What’s the one question you’d most like to ask George W. Bush?
Wilson: I haven’t formulated the question, but it’s going to connect to the regrets he might have had in terms of the cost of being in public office on his family and friends.
The SP: Will you be discussing Sept. 11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Canada’s refusal to send troops to Iraq?
Wilson: I’ve been told that I can ask anything I want. Now, I’ve been asked to run the questions by them so they can anticipate, but let’s be clear: George W. Bush has been asked every question in the book. There’s nothing I’m going to do that’s going to surprise him or trick him. He’ll answer any of those questions however he so chooses. I’m pretty sure I’m going to go some places that other people have gone in that regard.
The SP: Some critics, including a Saskatoon group which is protesting the visit, call George W. Bush a war criminal. Will you ask him about that?
Wilson: I don’t know that’s either professional or respectful. I’d have to judge that at the time. I think people have the right to protest. But the people who’ve paid and choose to listen have the right to listen. Their right to protest does not cause George Bush to sit quiet. The people who want to listen have the right to listen unencumbered by nonsense. As long as the protesting’s done respectfully, I think there’s a role and a place for it. I think I’ve got better questions to ask him than the relevance of the disorganized chaos outside the building.
The SP: You’re a host on the CBC program Dragon’s Den. Would you invest in a business with George W. Bush if he asked?
Wilson: Would I invest in a business with George W. Bush? In George Bush, you’ve got someone who’s got such a high profile that, in my mind, integrity and honesty are above reproach, and those are pretty high characteristics for me in terms of the sort of people I want to do business with. So I’d have to ask a few more questions, but I’d certainly be willing to continue the conversation.
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