The phrase has been bandied about enough in the media recently regarding the Truscott fiasco, but I’ll admit that it doesn’t really apply to the stories I’m bringing up. These aren’t miscarriages of justice, they are full-on abortions - completely intentional, borne on the wings of spooky authoritarianism.

First up, are the agents provocateurs in Quebec. At a protest of the leaders summit in Montebello, Quebec, the police used two undercover police officers dressed as the perfect cliché of Black Bloc anarchists. Sticking out like sore thumbs in their ridiculous outfits, they proceeded to heft rocks and attempted to incite violence amongst the protesters so that the police could sweep out the lot of them.

Why isn’t this an enormous scandal? This calls for a national inquiry, and the fascists that perpetrated it need to be sacked. So much for democracy.

The next story isn’t quite so sensational, just offensive in a fundamental civil rights sort of way.

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled it is lawful to seize property obtained through illegal activity even if the owner has not been convicted of a crime.Ontario’s Criminal Lawyers’ Association and Robin Chatterjee – a man on bail who had $29,000 in cash and some grow-op-style gear confiscated after he was stopped by York Region police in 2003 while driving without a front licence plate – argued the seizure was unconstitutional.

While the money, lights, and exhaust fan smelled of marijuana, no drugs were found and Chatterjee was never charged with any narcotics offence.

Still, police and the province were successful in taking away his property.

No crime, no warrant, nor even any probable cause apparently means ‘no problem’ when it comes to the seizure of private property. My friend Pavel will have a field day with this one, I’m sure.