Canada’s new ethics watchdog sets his top three priorities, experts unpack the long-term psychological impact of solitary confinement, and a Canadian hockey coach has “mixed feelings” about North Korea joining the Olympics.
He’s been on the job for just over a week, but Canada’s new ethics commissioner has already pinpointed three clear areas of the law that he thinks could use some reform.
In an interview with CTVNews.ca, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion, the Liberal government’s appointee, said he wants to reassess some of the rules around gifts, friends and penalties.
For instance, he said the wording around what constitutes a “friend” should be clarified. Dion also confirmed that the probe into Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s possible conflict of interest over his sponsorship of pension bill, C-27, is ongoing.
A B.C. judge ruled Wednesday that indefinite solitary confinement -- keeping federal inmates alone in prison cells for unclear lengths of time -- runs contrary to the constitution because it puts them at increased risk of suicide and self-harm.
The decision comes after psychologists testified in court that solitary confinement or “administrative segregation” can lead inmates to develop symptoms such as hallucinations, panic attacks and revenge fantasies.
One expert said that, in extreme cases, inmates lose the ability to live fulfilling social lives after solitary confinement.
In a stunning turn of events, South Korea and North Korea agreed to form a unified Olympic team for the upcoming Pyeongchang games.
The move is seen by some as a diplomatic breakthrough between the rival nations, which haven’t formed a united team in 11 years.
But a Canadian hockey coach tasked with leading a mixed team of North and South Korean players said she has “mixed feelings” about the move, which she described as “very sudden.”
