Juliet O'Neill
Encyclopedia
Juliet O'Neill is a Canadian
journalist who was the subject of controversy when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
raided her house, in an attempt to find the source of an alleged internal leak giving her access to privileged documents related to the Maher Arar
case.
In 1996 O'Neill was awarded a Southam Fellowship.
She was a reporter with the Ottawa Citizen
at the time of the raid, and she had earlier served as a foreign correspondent in Moscow
.
In 1986, O'Neill was working for the Canadian Press
newswire, when she caught international attention for being the only reporter to capture Sondra Gotlieb
slapping her social secretary
Connie Gibson Connor at a state dinner
held to honour Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
and US Vice President George H. Bush.
On January 21, 2004 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
raided her house as part of an attempt to identify the leak. The raid seized notebooks, files, hard drives and other materials.
In November 2004, Ontario Superior Court Judge Lynn Ratushny ruled that the sealing of the search warrants was unacceptable, although Justice of the Peace
Richard Sculthorpe had given approval after the RCMP invoked the Security of Information Act. Justice Ratushny stated that the sealing of the search violated guarantees of a free press, freedom of expression and the publics right to an open court system. She ordered that a redact
ed copy be released to the public.
In October 2006, Ontario Superior Court Judge Ratushny struck down Section 4 of the Security of Information Act, ruling that it was "unconstitutionally vague" and broad and an infringement of freedom of expression.
All materials seized from O'Neill were ordered returned.
O'Neill was represented by attorneys Rick Dearden and Wendy Wagner from Gowlings Law Firm
.
In 2005 O'Neill was honored with the World Press Freedom Award .
In 2009 O'Neill was honored with the Charles Lynch Award
for Outstanding Coverage of National Affairs.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
journalist who was the subject of controversy when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
raided her house, in an attempt to find the source of an alleged internal leak giving her access to privileged documents related to the Maher Arar
Maher Arar
Maher Arar is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who resides in Canada. Arar's story is frequently referred to as "extraordinary rendition" but the U.S. government insisted it was a case of deportation.Arar was detained during a layover at John F...
case.
In 1996 O'Neill was awarded a Southam Fellowship.
She was a reporter with the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
at the time of the raid, and she had earlier served as a foreign correspondent in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
In 1986, O'Neill was working for the Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
newswire, when she caught international attention for being the only reporter to capture Sondra Gotlieb
Sondra Gotlieb
Sondra Gotlieb is a Canadian journalist and novelist who lives in Toronto, Ontario.She is married to Allan Gotlieb, former Canadian ambassador to the United States during the presidency of Ronald Reagan...
slapping her social secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
Connie Gibson Connor at a state dinner
State dinner
A state dinner is a dinner or banquet paid by a government and hosted by a head of state in his or her official residence in order to renew and celebrate diplomatic ties between the host country and the country of a foreign head of state or head of government who was issued an invitation. In many...
held to honour Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
and US Vice President George H. Bush.
On January 21, 2004 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
raided her house as part of an attempt to identify the leak. The raid seized notebooks, files, hard drives and other materials.
In November 2004, Ontario Superior Court Judge Lynn Ratushny ruled that the sealing of the search warrants was unacceptable, although Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
Richard Sculthorpe had given approval after the RCMP invoked the Security of Information Act. Justice Ratushny stated that the sealing of the search violated guarantees of a free press, freedom of expression and the publics right to an open court system. She ordered that a redact
Redact
Redact may refer to:* Redacted, a 2007 film* Redaction, a form of editing in which multiple sources are combined and subjected to minor alteration to create a definitive and coherent work...
ed copy be released to the public.
In October 2006, Ontario Superior Court Judge Ratushny struck down Section 4 of the Security of Information Act, ruling that it was "unconstitutionally vague" and broad and an infringement of freedom of expression.
All materials seized from O'Neill were ordered returned.
O'Neill was represented by attorneys Rick Dearden and Wendy Wagner from Gowlings Law Firm
Gowlings
Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Gowlings, is Canada's second largest full-service law firm, with over 750 professionals practising in 10 cities in Canada, Russia, China and the United Kingdom....
.
In 2005 O'Neill was honored with the World Press Freedom Award .
In 2009 O'Neill was honored with the Charles Lynch Award
Charles Lynch Award
The Charles Lynch Award is an annual award presented to a Canadian journalist in recognition of outstanding coverage of national issues as selected by their colleagues in the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery....
for Outstanding Coverage of National Affairs.