A Modern Day Thoreau CL9609.html

A Modern Day Thoreau CL9609.html: "A Modern Day Thoreau


Every year, the federal government shells out $2.75 million of taxpayers’ money to the Court Challenges Program. I can’t recall ever hearing about a single case funded by the program that achieved what I considered to be a worthwhile result. My perception (and I think it’s widely shared) is that this is just another way in which public money is spent for the benefit of a few special interest groups.

Meanwhile, the name of Marc Emery keeps popping up in newspapers and law reports. This extraordinary man has a penchant for provoking test cases with a twist: the costs are covered out of private resources--almost entirely his own, but with the occasional private cash donation and some donated legal services. The risk of punishment is borne by Emery himself, sometimes at considerable personal sacrifice. However, the cases involve issues of personal freedom which should concern every Canadian.

Emery’s test cases have varied widely in subject matter. Back when Sunday shopping was forbidden in Ontario, his London bookstore unabashedly served customers 7 days a week. He refused to pay his $500 fine, electing instead to go to jail for this heinous crime. Like Henry David Thoreau, who went to jail instead of paying a poll tax, Emery was freed after some well-wishers paid the fine for him.

His ne"