NDP M.P. Christine Moore and CBC Radio host Jian Gomeshi have one thing in common. They both thought they could deflect blame in a sex scandal by admitting a sexual indiscretion before it was known publicly. Both were wrong. Gomeshi tried to get ahead of a newspaper investigation into allegations of rough sex on his part. He published a blog post admitting to a predeliction for S&M. The post contributed to his firing from the CBC. In the wake of the Gomeshi affair, Moore shifted the national debate on sexual harassment to Parliament Hill as a cesspit of rapacious politicians and staff preying on innocent young girls working in the political sphere. When Liberal leader Justin Trudeau championed her never-explained complaint against Liberal M.P. Massimo Pacetti, she managed to go unnamed. But eventually Moore could see the pressure growing for her to shed her anonymity and go public with her allegations. ...
The origin of the Usher of the Black Rod goes back to early fourteenth century England . Today, with no royal duties to perform, the Usher knocks on the doors of the House of Commons with the Black Rod at the start of Parliament to summon the members. The rod is a symbol for the authority of debate in the upper house. We of The Black Rod adopted the symbol to knock some sense and the right questions into the heads of Legislators, pundits, and other opinion makers.