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July 15, 2009

The Honourable Gary Lunn
Minister of State for Sports
House of Commons
Ottawa Canada
KiA 0A6
LunnG@parl.gc.ca

July 15, 2009

An Open Letter to The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of State for Sports (2010 Olympics).

Dear Mr. Lunn,

I am writing to express the concern of The Writers' Union of Canada regarding the actions of the Integrated Securities Unit (ISU) when interviewing Dr. Chris Shaw, the author of Five Ring Circus: Myths and Realities of the Olympic Games, a work which is critical of the upcoming Vancouver Olympics. A complaint was brought to our organization by one of our members. We researched the situation and found the following:

On June 3, 2009, two members of the Integrated Securities Unit engaged Dr. Shaw in a conversation as he was leaving a Vancouver coffee shop. One of the officers, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, stated that he did not like the content of Dr. Shaw’s book. This was followed by ten-minutes of questioning during which Dr. Shaw was asked what he knew about planned demonstrations against the Olympics. Shaw declined to answer and ended the conversation.

The Writers’ Union distinguishes between the legitimate crime-prevention role of police and the right to free expression that is fundamental to our democracy. It is disturbing to learn that a member of the Integrated Securities Union suggested to an author that he disapproved of the author's work. Such behaviour, coming from a person carrying out a security function, appears to have been purposively intimidating.

When the police included Dr. Shaw’s opinions in their questioning they challenged the right to freedom of speech that is the bedrock of Canadian society. The Writers’ Union requests your formal assurance that authors and journalists who are critical of the Canadian Olympics will be free from such intimidation.

Sincerely,

Erna Paris
Chair, The Writers’ Union of Canada

Cc: Mr. Bud Mercer, Assistant Commissioner, V2010 ISU Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer VANOC
The Honourable James Moore
Mr. Michael Ignatieff
Mr. Pablo Rodriguez
Hon. Keith Martin
Mr. Mark Holland
Hon. Jack Layton
Mr. Joe Comartin
Mr. Charlie Angus