Dear Canada Soccer, Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame Status of Paul J James
Dear Canada Soccer,
With regard to your correspondence - February 26, 2019 - acknowledging your annulment of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame status of Paul J James I accept the reality. I trust you have removed any representation of Paul J James as a part of your files and displays. If not. Please do so now.
The James vs York University human rights matter is a profound example of how the Canadian legal system with the support of unscrupulous corroborating Canadian institutions including Canada Soccer reinforce and exacerbate the real world disadvantages and suffering that many Canadian citizens face. Mental disability is one such disadvantage, so is inequality in wealth, bargaining power and leverage. The stigma of mentality disability facilitates such institutions and citizens to take appalling advantage of these realities. And none more so than Canada Soccer has in the Paul J James matter.
“There was a lot of talk within the soccer community when Paul James opened
up to the public about his mental health and addiction issues. I heard many negative
and derogatory comments about him and some people went as far as to say that these issues completely took away from everything he has accomplished and contributed to Canadian soccer.
Laura Arduini, University of Toronto Soccer Alumnus 2016
To repeat one more time. I am ashamed of ever representing your organization and Canada as a nation both as a soccer player and as a soccer coach. Your decisions to handle my desperate requests for assistance over the past five years in the manner you have, has been as shocking as it has been disturbing. Morally and ethically, with particular consideration that the Genesis of the health issue began under my tenure with the Canadian Soccer Association, you had a humanistic responsibility no matter how many years later, to assist responsibly, when called upon.
At a bare minimum it was incumbent upon you to have treated Paul J James with dignity and respect. The complete opposite has taken place. The desperate phone call between Pat Santini, Victor Montagliani and I (with Ashley Anne Kelly in the background) in 2015 was cemented confirmation of how appalling the treatment has been. It was dreadful. Disgusting. It was a knife to the stomach in front of my partner who meant so much to me.
Back in 1998-2001 persons at Canada Soccer knew Paul J James needed health assistance but were apparently "handcuffed" with not knowing what to do. In reality though. You should have known what to do. Yet Paul J James has never held the organization accountable. Instead, even after the 2015 butchery, Canada Soccer were given opportunities to have acted responsibly, ethically, morally. With dignity, respect, humanity and honor. Towards the human rights of one Canadian citizen. A former Canadian national soccer alumnus. You failed at a level far beyond the 2015 incident watching an alumnus suffer such humiliation, pain and torture fighting for simple straightforward Truth - the transparency of which would have helped million of citizens around the world. Rather than assist to bring justice/resolution to the matter however you aligned and colluded with the deliberate malevolence of York University and the Canadian Judicial process.
No matter the rhetoric emanating from the Canadian legal system, accessing social justice outside Canada's elite class has been impossible for all other Canadian citizens. The Canadian Judicial process is an unprincipled Bentley system. I therefore have attempted to turn water into wine in accessing social justice in my own particular case, using what little resource I had left. Mind, body, soul. My life. Canadian Citizenship. Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame status. Ingenuity to gain traction.
Yet my requests for Canada Soccer to assist have been met not with honor but with a corrupt schadenfreude approach. With ridicule. With deceit. With collusion. With rolling eyes. The fact you never consulted the Board of Directors of Canada Soccer on the handling of the Paul J James circumstance including the annulment of the Canadian Hall of Fame status of Paul J James will forever live in the memory of how worthless persons like Paul J James really are.
Your acceptance of the annulment request rather than being shamed into assisting with integrity and honor on an issue of such profound global importance is a reminder to all, that the deficient lack of moral character within Canada Soccer and the Canadian soccer industry in general is significant. Fiefdoms of bad politics, jealousies and incompetence.
After all, how can you justify that Jason Devos and Andrew Oliveri are still members of your organization after their public references and undermining slander and rhetoric of the role I was confronted with in Singapore back in 1986 - empowered by the knowledge of my stigmatized health background in doing so. Along with the Toronto Star savagery and all that has proceeded it - there are simply no words to describe the pain you alone have delivered. Perhaps over time when you become privy to the full comprehensive Paul J James story you will understand more profoundly and appreciate how I could so easily contemplate setting myself alight in protest.
Finally. As a final parting contribution to setting straight what is right within in the Canadian Soccer and Sporting world I recommend unreservedly, Canada Soccer, the Canadian Government and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame consider immediate induction of Tony Waiters and Leslie Wilson into the esteemed Canadian sporting institution.
In order that the history of Canadian Soccer is recorded for posterity and transparency with pristine credibility not debunked by bad politics and popularity but rather what is right, then these two persons should be inducted without contest as representations of Canadian soccer history delivering so much pride.
Tony Waiters' accomplishments, ability and leadership during the period 1983-1987 as the Canadian Olympic and World Cup men's soccer coach is not only unmatched it is legendary. So is his humility. Every year that passes, every failed attempt to qualify the men's team since is further testament of what was witnessed during that unparalleled period of Canadian soccer success. Tony Waiters was instrumental in this. It is misplaced that Tony to date has been overlooked. An embarrassing error and total lack of care.
Similarly, with Leslie Wilson who played in the English Division One in the 60's and 70's and then went on to be the Canadian Soccer Association's Manager of teams for over three decades. It is Les' accomplishments as a player which are breathtaking when you consider whom he played with and against. One hundred games in English football's top flight during a period when the English were considered among the best in the world and as a Canadian. The footballing culture in England during this period was highly prejudiced against foreign players from any country, even the best. For Les Wilson to have plied his trade so successfully at that level as a Canadian, is, as stated earlier, breathtaking.
As you know I will be leaving Canada permanently this upcoming week. I will never return. In light of this fact I trust on the issue of my Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame annulment you will follow through on my request to have Paul J James removed completely from all your files.
I thank you for honoring that request.
Respectfully,
Paul J James
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February 25, 2019 Mr. Paul James Email: pjjames.09@gmail.com
Dear Mr. James, On behalf of Canada Soccer, we acknowledge and accept your request to annul your status as an honoured member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. Pursuant to Canada Soccer’s By-Laws, we have resorted to our general power of good governance (By-Law 6.06 Ai) in order to grant your request. The annulment of your status as an honoured member has been made solely upon your request to no longer be a member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame.
Sincerely, Ken MacLean Chair, Canada Soccer Hall of Fame cc: Steven Reed, President Peter Montopoli, General Secretary