NOW, the
NDP get upset! Cough-cough-
( political opportunism )-cough-cough...
Shared with the usual disclaimer...
Ont. politician calls for AG's apology over alleged war memorial urination
Canadian Press, via Canada.com, 14 Feb 07
Article link
TORONTO (CP) - Ontario's attorney general should be ashamed that a man accused of urinating on the National War Memorial had a mischief charge dropped, a provincial opposition politician said Wednesday in calling for a public apology.
The decision to drop a charge against Stephen Fernandes, a Montreal resident who was 23 years old when he was photographed along with two teens urinating on the memorial in Ottawa, is outrageous and has angered Canadians, said New Democrat Peter Kormos.
The pictures caused a national uproar, leading to calls from the Royal Canadian Legion and other veterans' groups for the government to post a military guard at the monument.
"The Crown attorney should've been asking for jail time, instead the attorney general's ministry gives this guy a free ticket out of jail," Kormos said. "The attorney general should be ashamed of himself."
Kormos is demanding a public apology from Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant.
Fernandes's claim that he was too drunk to know what he was doing is ridiculous, added Kormos.
"I've been to the war memorial in Ottawa (and) I'm sorry, I don't care how drunk you are, you can't fail to understand that this is a very significant place for Canadians," he said.
"Drunk or not, you don't desecrate public monuments."
Fernandes's lawyer, Steven Greenberg, said Tuesday that his client is "extremely happy" to put the incident behind him.
Fernandes has completed 50 hours of community service at a veterans' home and has expressed his remorse in writing, Greenberg added.
The two teens did not face criminal charges because they agreed to formally apologize and to participate in community service.