Editorial

In the old days (oh, no, here we go again), you had the utmost respect for your elders, particularly the authorities. 

Giving a grumpy senior the finger was one thing, but flipping the bird to a police officer was a grievous act, and heaven forbid if your father found out, which he always did. 

Fast forward to May 9, 2023 in Ottawa where a student on a bus allegedly flashed this rude gesture to a cop, who pulled the vehicle over and scolded the lad in front of his peers. The officer subsequently reported the boy to the school principal.

Unfortunately for the officer, a human rights lawyer witnessed the incident and . . . you know where this is going. She cried wolf and filed a complaint, as did the child’s father. Now, taxpayer’s money is being used to investigate the matter, which the lawyer claims was an abuse of power and a violation of trust (by calling out the poor boy in front of his friends). She reported that the officer threatened to detain the kid and place him in the police cruiser. For this, she wants a public apology. Get out the bleeding-heart violins.

Where did our society go wrong when police can’t even admonish a child for disrespecting them? 

Giving someone the finger is not a crime. In fact, a Quebec judge ruled in March that this uncivil, impolite gesture is a “God-given, Charter-enshrined right” belonging to every Canadian. Really? Condoning this type of behaviour is not what we want our children to learn. Whatever happened to teaching our youth a little respect and a pocketful of morals? 

Strange how all of the backlash was focused on the police officer’s actions and not the student’s. A simple wave or a thumb’s up would have made everyone’s day on May 9. But such disrespect turned the tables and made the authorities out to be the bad guys. This would not have been an issue years ago, and it’s a very sad commentary on how twisted our society has become.

Human rights are great, and we should count our blessings that we have them, but once you abuse those rights do you still deserve them? 

Police should not be condemned for trying to teach this youth right from wrong. Some people may feel that the officer was overzealous in his duties, while others would argue on the contrary.

Youth need to be reminded that there are still consequences for their actions; they can’t go through life thinking they are immune and bereft of accountability. If they do, we better build more detention centres or hire more probation officers.

Lyonel Doherty, editor