Rainer Knopff is a writer, professor of political science at the University of Calgary, Canada, and member of a group known as the Calgary School. He especially well known for his views about the influence of judicial decisions on Canadian public policy. In 2010, Knopff was appointed by the then Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the Governor General Consultation Committee,[1] a special committee to recommend a successor to Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean. The panel recommended David Johnston who was installed as viceroy on October 1, 2010.
Affiliations
Rainer Knopff is often described as a member of the Calgary School, which includes a group of conservatively inclined professors at the University of Calgary, such as Barry Cooper, F.L.(Ted) Morton, Tom Flanagan (political scientist) and history professor David Bercuson[2][3][4] who are strongly committed to strategic and direct influence on public affairs with a long term vision. [notes 1]
By 1998, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a public policy research institution based in Washington, DC had already observed the ascendancy of the role of Calgary-based academics on Canadian public policy, specifically the Calgary School of political science (Rovinsky 1998:10).[2]
The Calgary School are clever strategists who chose to write about contentious, controversial and current topics that "people care about"[3] by simplifying and polarizing complex and sensitive issues giving them dramatic interest and mass appeal. Their role is not to clarify public policy alternatives available to help political leaders make informed choices.
Criticism of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Rainer Knopff writes on constitutional and judicial politics (Knopff 2008:44)[5] and since 1982, has been particularly active in challenging the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, often with F. L. Morton,[notes 2][5][6][7][8][9][10]
In their book entitled The Charter Revolution & the Court Party Morton and Knopff (2000) argue that "the advent of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has drastically increased the power of judges in Canadian society. In deciding to use their new powers in an activist way, judges have been urged on by what Morton and Knopff call "the Court Party," a loose coalition of feminists, civil libertarians, government lawyers, Supreme Court clerks, law professors, and social activists, many funded principally by government (Morton and Knopff 2000:55).".[11]
Controversy
Knopff entered a highly-controversial debate to defend a Calgary School colleague whose career ended abruptly when his comments on the consumption of child pornography were publicized. In a statement[12] from Elizabeth Cannon, President of the University of Calgary, regarding remarks made by Tom Flanagan, the university sought to distance itself from Flanagan's comments by declaring that they "absolutely do not represent the views of the University of Calgary. In the university's view, child pornography is not a victimless crime. All aspects of this horrific crime involve the exploitation of children. Viewing pictures serves to create more demand for these terrible images, which leads to further exploitation of defenseless children" (Cannon 2013)"[12]
In his criticism of the university, the CBC, and the Manning Institute, Knopff cited the "famous Sharpe case" in which "both the trial judge and the B.C. Court of Appeal struck down Canada's criminal prohibition of possessing child pornography" in what was called a "courageous" act in the face of a "hallmark of tyranny." Rainer agreed with the possession offence but also with his colleague's statement that the demand-side consumption of child pornography is one of personal liberty and suggested that as opposed to the production side, which is a more harmful crime, it could be addressed by treatment, not incarceration.[13]