This is bizarre.
Seriously. This whole thing is a show trial.

I'm surprised they don't have a whipping post!

a whipping post or a special "Nikita" table for shoe pounding.

All these HRC's in Canada are disgusting . . . absolutely and completely useless.

All they do is act like mob goons to facilitate a $payoff to the chosen whiner group.

And where, pray tell, have they seated Madame Dafarge?

Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but the following is the first thing that came into my mind when seeing the layout.

The complainant and the respondent are on opposite sides of the table. This naturally leads to a stronger sense of opposition between the two parties. Add to this, that from the respondent's perspective, the entire gallery is behind the complainant--this can give the impression that they are on the side of the complainant--all those people against one.

I can't help but compare this with the image I have of a traditional court room. The two parties are sitting beside each other (at different tables) before the judge, not facing each other and more equally. They do not see the gallery unless they turn around or give testimony--keeping the gallery more neutral in the proceedings.

I keep hoping that I am wrong on this, that this is not deliberate. However, the more I learn of these kangaroos, the more I suspect that this is deliberate.

Calculus -- good observations. I think perhaps you're right that it's very deliberate.

Plus a lot of frickin wasted space in the centre. Actually, the entire tribunal room is a waste of space.

Where's the lynching rope, how they going to drown witches/cons/christians without a pool? I'm surprised the room isn't circular to accomadate their loopy circ logic?

“We are socialists, we are enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions.”

– Adolf Hitler

Enough show and manipulation to make an old Soviet Kommissar proud!

Scary??
There's at least 4 of these rooms.

Entertaining to have a stand-up comedian as a witness. This from Cousineau (Pardy's lawyer) cross examining Roy (another comedian who witnessed the altercation). Roy's response is a take-off from Pardy's claim of PTSD and really puts the mock into mock trial.

Cousineau: Was this a major incident in your life?

Roy: [sarcastically] Yeah, I keep having nightmares and I wake up in cold sweats… I've been drinking every day since then.

It seems that so far everyone from Earle's lawyer to the witnesses to the press has been giving the BCHRC the respect they deserve!

This whole thing would be funny except for the fact that it is actually happening here in a so called free society in a country called Canada. Be afraid, be very afraid.

I would not be surprised to see stars painted on the ceiling...

Our governments are to blame for these travesties. A minority government such has PMSH could rid themselves of these by cutting off funding. How long will HRH Jennifer Lynch stay on the job if the approriation for the CHRC was reduced to commissioners' salaries & benefits, i.e. no staff, no office supplies, telephones, travel. Aye, the salaries would be wasted but at leaset they could do no harm. The letter of the law is satisfied (a commission has been appointed...)
Furthermore, whenever a commissar resigned, the PMO could merely take their time appointing a new commissioner (or appoint someone like me who will tell complainers to grow a spine and suck it up).
After a few years a PR campaign announces how "ineffective and unproductive" the HRC is ("they haven't investigated a complaint in years, don't you know!) and "reform" the wasteful, ineffective commission out of existance.

Just a suggestion...

Do you have to show up for these things? I'm seriously wondering about that. What happens if a respondent simply does not show up?

Doug @ 7:36, that was the model.

Fidelturdeau

Earle's lawyer essentially followed that tack....with a SC ruling to boot.

When they had the Mark Steyn hearings in 2008, the hearing room was also quite small for the size of the public interest, and I will always remember that the clock was stuck at 8:00. I guess the year was stuck at 1984.

Hello Norm at 9:03 ... this is Gordon Campbell's baby, not Ottawa's. He has had nine years of majority government to do something about this, but he doesn't.

I have said many times, these Human "Rights" Commission shows are replicas of the the Nazi "Volksgerichtshof", or "People's Court" which were set up outside the operations of the constitutional frame of law. They are an absolute disgrace.

The Human Rights "Commission".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_151-39-23,_Volksgerichtshof,_Reinecke,_Freisler,_Lautz.jpg

"OMG the seats r opposite the door, hr tribunals r tly currpt!"

Kate: you're such a joke.

HRC's behave just like Q's judgement ... guilty until proven innocent ... at the accused cost of course !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3r3r65xzIU

"OMG the seats r opposite the door, hr tribunals r tly currpt!"

Kate: you're such a joke.

Posted by: batman at April 4, 2010 9:59 AM

Missing the point by a country mile.

CJ @ 2:13
I am aware the Guy Earle trial is a BC HRC affair and it is in Gordo's bailiwick. I was refering to the CHRC as I could never imagine Gordo doing something as, um, "unprogressive" as abolishing a star chamber. PMSH most likely wants to rid the nation of these kangaroo courts but frets about getting repeal legislation through the Commons.

FYI. Julliete over at Greenpeace has decided to yellowstreak and withdrawn from the field of battle... The comments were 46:1 acerbically against the neurodeficient psychopath who wrote this feces-brain of an article...

"The above blog entry is about encouraging civil disobedience and non-violent direct action - the kind of nonviolent methods that liberated Gene's country from imperialism - in the face of a global threat to our planet's climate.
While I encourage and appreciate discussion, the comments I have received (including around 30 not approved), death threats and hints of rape aren't the kind of things that will be approved here.
I am closing the comments for now - a decision that may or may not be changed in the future. I apologize to the people who came here for honest discussion about Greenpeace's tactics. Hopefully I will be able to re-open the comments soon to have that kind of discussion."

norm: "A minority government such has PMSH could rid themselves of these by cutting off funding." If PMSH were to cut off funding, some opposition MP would simply get a motion passed to reinstate it. This happened when funding was cut for the 47 thousand or so activist lobby groups funded by the Liberanos.
As long as Canadians vote stupid, we're stuck with the results.

Calculus - insightful, observant and correct! The degree of micro planning that goes into a hearing, including the psychology of room layout, is a well-known fact. Books and courses are dedicated to this topic. Below is a link to Running a "Fair" Hearing for tribunal members - take a look at just how micro managed these hearings are.

http://nelligan.ca/files/Running%20a%20Fair%20Hearing%20Conference.pdf

PSYCHOLOGY 350 - UBC
Environmental Psychology
Description: Human interaction with the physical environment from a psychological perspective. Topics include environmental perception, cognition, and assessment; personality and environment; the dynamics of social space; the effects of temperature, sound, light and spatial arrangements in neighbourhoods, homes, schools and workplaces; mutual influences of individuals and the natural environment, the design of buildings, and resource management.
Prerequisites: 201 or registration in Environmental Studies.

Gunney99 @ 2:45

Actually not. The one motion a non-governmnet MP (ie. opposition benches or government back bench) cannot table is to apporpriate money. Only a Minister can table a bill to appropriate money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). Other MPs may move to reduce the appropriation request but they cannot increase the request.

Thanks for linking, SDA. The day after drawing that map I filmed a complete video tour of the facilities. It's a big place.

youtube.com/watch?v=YNzZu20gOJ4

Gunney99/Norm/CJ; Either I'm misunderstanding your conversation or there's some misunderstanding concerning the current status of the CHRC(?)...
At least three of their offices are closing, Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax.
http://www.arpacanada.ca/index.php/issuesresearch/religious-freedom/892-halifax-toronto-and-vancouver-canadian-human-rights-commission-offices-closed
Not a perfect solution but a big step forward. I'm a little unclear on why the increase in funding if the offices are closing but maybe just a question of the Budget predating the closures announcement?

I didn't know what the issue was with Mr. Earle until yesterday when listening to a pod cast of him being interviewed by Brian of London. Poor guy, talk battling with bureaucracy.