THE MESSAGE:

Christie is a contemporary Canadian who continues to provide facts, analysis and reality through her writings.

Christie Blatchford

At the first degree murder trial of Lamar Skeete, held in Toronto, I had the opportunity to meet Christie Blatchford. I found her to be intelligent, compassionate, thorough, respectful, involved, honest and unafraid of public opinion. Christie called them the way she saw them! She believed in what she saw and championed her visions for the greater good!

Blatchford was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, her family moved to Toronto during grade 11. She attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute, graduating in 1970. She then studied journalism at Ryerson University, and worked for the student paper The Ryersonian.

She worked as a sports reporter for the Globe and Mail from 1973 through 1977, where she was billed as Canada’s first female sports columnist. After a dispute with the Globe's editorial department she left to join the Toronto Star as a feature writer from 1977 to 1982.

Looking to transition from a news reporter to a columnist, Christie accepted a position with the Toronto Sun in 1982. Blatchford remained at the Sun for 16 years. She eventually transitioned back to news reporting with the National Post in 1998. Christie received the National Newspaper Award in 1999 for column writing.

Christie left the Post to return to The Globe and Mail in 2003 and worked as a columnist there for eight years. In 2011 she returned to the National Post.

During four trips to Afghanistan in 2006–07, she reported on the experiences she had with and about Canadian soldiers. Her book Fifteen Days detailed stories of bravery, friendship, life and death from inside the New Canadian Army. The book went on to win the 'Governor General's Literary Award for Non-fiction' in 2008.

Some of her writing has met with criticism from readers. Examples include the reaction to writings surrounding the the death of Jack Layton and the suicide of Rehteah Parson.

Jack Layton

In her article, 'Massaging the truth about Jack Layton', Blatchford exposed what appears to be a blatant cover up regarding his trip to a massage parlour that was raided by police. Layton was found totally naked and declared his innocence. Christie dared to question the claim of this popular politician. She goes on to detail his 'hypocritical use of programs designed to assist those in need of subsidies. Mr. Layton and Ms. Chow, then earning about $120,000 a year between them, nonetheless for years lived in a government-subsidized three-bedroom co-op apartment where they paid alleged "market" rent of $800 a month.

Rehtaeh Parsons

With regard to the Rehtaeh Parsons story, Christie wrote, "There are two sides, even to this wrenching tale. The changes underway in Nova Scotia and on the horizon in Ottawa might be necessary; they might be good. They might even help prevent the sort of harm that was done to Rehtaeh: God knows, social media is so vicious it might be better called anti-social media. But it isn’t so simple, what happened to her. It isn’t so clear that she was abused, let alone by two boys or three or four, let alone by the justice system." Blatchford's position was widely condemned even in the face of reliable facts and reasonable arguments.

Glen Canning Rehtaeh Parsons father.

I don't want her life to be defined by a Google search about suicide or death or rape. I want it to be about the giving heart she had. Her smile. Her love of life and the beautiful way in which she lived it.

THE BLURB:

Below, I have included the Bylines of 10 of my favourite articles by Blatchford. This list is far from complete!

Christie Blatchford: Michael Rafferty got a fair trial. If it wasn’t perfect, so be it. This was the appeal trial of Michael Rafferty, who with Terri-Lynne McClintic, abducted and killed eight-year-old Victoria (Tori) Stafford on April 8, 2009.

Christie Blatchford: The year’s best and worst moments in Canadian criminal justice.

Christie Blatchford: Why being embedded in Kandahar was easily the most significant experience of my life.

Christie Blatchford: Why is it OK to call a team ‘Indians’? A good question, but not one for the courts.

Christie Blatchford: Canada has fewer and fewer crimes, but the wheels of justice keep slowing down anyway.

Christie Blatchford: An example for why there should be no inquiry into missing, murdered aboriginal women.

Christie Blatchford: Duffy, Ghomeshi cases show great divide between court of public opinion and real court.

Christie Blatchford: Their child is almost 11 years old — so is their child-custody fight. It is accepted, even by those who work within it, that Ontario’s family law system is utterly broken.

Christie Blatchford: Again, a man’s life left in ruins, while his sexual-assault accuser goes about hers.

Christie Blatchford: Despite his galling language, ‘knees-together’ judge got sex-assault ruling right.

BLATCHFORD SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT AT THE U OF WATERLOO

Three protesters, with bike locks on their necks, were on the stage, behind the podium where she was to speak, chanting "Racist, racist, racist!" As a result her appearance on stage was cancelled. One of the three protesters was a Mr. Dan Kellar. Mr Kellar appears to be a man more interested in publicity and notoriety than facts. Christie received an apology from the University and was invited back. She spoke to a packed house without incident.

Ms. Blatchford states, "I was shut down by three people and a couple of bike locks." "I think we were ll mystified. I'm hardly a stirrer of pots, but a reporter, and my book, which is about the ruination of the rule of law in Caledonia, Ont., during the native occupation there, is most sharply critical of the Ontario government and the senior ranks of the Ontario Provincial Police - that is, the state, which cheerfully threw the town under the bus."

Ms. Blatchford further states, "I take from that horse manure what I take from the booksellers' reluctance: That if one doesn't bow at the altar of aboriginal self-determination, however criminally it may be expressed, one should not be allowed to speak." "I think I'll bring my own bike lock when I'm back at Waterloo, with a suggestion where Mr. Kellar might put it."

THE QUOTE: