Conrad Black’s four criminal convictions last week open yet another chapter in his ongoing battle for “vindication” of his conduct at Hollinger International. Sentence estimates appear to range from three to 10 years imprisonment, but it will be at least another year or more before we know the ultimate outcome of his trial and appeal.

It is tempting to dwell on the consequences of his abdication of Canadian citizenship and his indifference and virtual contempt for apparently reasonable criticism of his conduct. But there is a disturbing critique of Canadian justice, and a kind of boosterism for American justice that has become common in the wake of both Black’s trial and conviction. Whether explicitly or implicitly, many are suggesting that the U.S. has the power and resources to take on white collar crime, and succeed. Canada, by contrast, is portrayed as impotent and relatively powerless in the face of such excess.

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Barry Beyerstein, a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on June 25th. His daughter said that he was a man fulfilled, and he certainly seemed to be that — well loved by family, well respected by colleagues, and motivated by the highest of ideals.

I first met Barry a little more than 25 years ago, after my arrival at Simon Fraser. I quickly learned that he had an encyclopedic knowledge of the effects of various drugs on behavior; he would get a call whenever I had doubt about a recent piece of research on this subject, and he always provided thoughtful and thorough responses. Barry was also committed to drug policy reform, at the time a both politically and academically unpopular pursuit. His commitment to science gave him the tools to understand the contradictions of prohibition, just as it gave rise to his secular humanism, and his many encounters with astrology, the para-normal and other dubious ways of thinking about the world.

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