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NB Telegraph-Journal | Provincial News - As published on page A1/A2 on June 21, 2006

Blogger-activist banned from legislature

Committee says Charles LeBlanc has been harassing staff in the house

By Shannon Hagerman
Telegraph-Journal

(Shannon Hagerman/Telegraph-Journal)

A blogger and political activist who had become a fixture at New Brunswick's legislature has been banned from entering the building or its grounds by a committee of provincial MLAs.

Charles LeBlanc, who spent six months camped in front of the legislature in 2003, has been warned he may be charged with assault if he fails to comply with the order.

The "barring notice" also includes sidewalks adjacent to the legislature and other government office buildings, including the grounds of the Official Opposition building.

The notice states that Mr. LeBlanc has been showing disrespectful behaviour and harassing legislature and security staff and members of the general public.

Charles LeBlanc has been warned that he may be charged with assault if he fails to comply with the ban.

Mr. LeBlanc said he's disappointed at the order and he's not sure what he'll do next.

"I am the man on the street and I confront politicians on a number of issues. Maybe, some of the politicians-we don't know who they are- said 'Enough is enough. We have to get rid of him.'"

Mr. LeBlanc, a critic of the Conservative government, spends hours every day at the legislature snapping photos of the media, politicians, civil servants and even corporate business executives who drop by the legislature to visit.

He writes about his experiences inside his daily blog.

Mr. LeBlanc, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, has morphed into an anti-poverty activist and outspoken critic of political and corporate elites in the province. Even the news media has been subject to his scorn.

The Legislative Administrative Committee, made up of Conservative and Liberal MLAs, made the decision to ban Mr. LeBlanc from the property two weeks ago.

The group held the meeting in private.

He was served with the order earlier this week.

The ban is indefinite-meaning Mr. LeBlanc won't be permitted on the property until the ban is lifted.

Mr. LeBlanc is not the first person to be banned from entering the legislature. Officials revealed Tuesday that six individuals, including Mr. LeBlanc, have been ordered to stay away.

Speaker Michael (Tanker) Malley, who chairs the committee, declined interviews about the subject Tuesday but read a brief statement.

"The individual concerned was warned a number of times and given ample opportunities to refrain from harassing personnel and guests, this and to no avail," Mr. Malley said. "As an employer, the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity."

The order is final and it doesn't appear Mr. LeBlanc has any rights to appeal.

Mr. LeBlanc says some individuals had been waiting for a chance to get rid of him.

The activist, who has complained Ritalin is being over prescribed to young people, says the order can be traced back to a long-time feud he's waged with legislature security staff.

He's been particularly critical of the legislature's Sgt.-at-Arms Dan Bussieres, a former RCMP officer, who has tightened security on the property in recent years.

"I learned last year I was labelled as a security risk and I don't really know the reason besides he told me I was harassing people, harassing the public when they were going in and I asked him who I was harassing but he never said," he said.

He denies he has harassed anyone, but admits he does take pictures and talk to provincial MLAs about various issues.

Mr. LeBlanc, who sometimes has referred to individuals as "liars", "racists" and even the "Gestapo" on his self-published Internet site, makes no apologies for his language or his positions.

Liberal house leader Kelly Lamrock, who is a member of the committee that banned Mr. LeBlanc, said he supported the proposal when it came forward.

The proposal had been brought to the committee before, but MLAs rejected barring Mr. LeBlanc, Mr. Lamrock said.

In his most recent case, the committee felt it had no choice, he said.

But not all provincial MLAs agree with the order. Two members of the Liberal caucus, Southwest Miramichi MLA Rick Brewer and Saint John Lancaster MLA Abel LeBlanc said they feel the order is an extreme reaction.

"Specifically barring someone from the legislature is totally, totally wrong as far as I am concerned. I am here. I got elected by the people and you know he's a person. If he comes here and asks me for anything, I do it for him," said Abel LeBlanc.

He credits the anti-poverty activist for bringing issues to his attention, like individuals being denied social assistance or having a hard time finding housing.

"Charlie LeBlanc has been an outstanding guy as far as I am concerned. He's the voice of a lot of people that are listening to him."

Mr. LeBlanc, who was arrested during Atlantica protests in Saint John about two weeks ago, has filed a complaint against the Saint John Police Force for seizing his camera and deleting his pictures.

He's scheduled to appear in court next month.