Posted on 12/19/2007 6:11:07 PM PST by Anti-Bubba182
Mark Steyn Case Wakes Up Canadian Press to Human Rights Tribunals' Threat to Free Speech
Calgary Herald writer says the Commissions must be shut down.
TORONTO, December 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Opposition is growing in the press to the power and boldness of the Canadian Human Rights Commissions (HRC) to suppress freedom of expression and to police what Canadians may say in public. While Christians and social conservatives in Canada have been under attack through the HRC's for years, it was not until the case against popular columnist Mark Steyn and Maclean's magazine that the Canadian mainstream media has picked up the scent of a threat to their own freedoms.
In today's Calgary Herald, Rebecca Walberg writes that the Commissions must be "shut down." Earlier this week the National Post protested that the Steyn case is one of "censorship in the name of 'human rights'". The Chilliwack Times ran an editorial calling the Commissions and their tribunals "a powerful ally" in the efforts of some to "further restrict our right to free speech."
The case that has garnered the attention of Canada's mainstream media is that brought by the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) against popular conservative columnist Mark Steyn and Maclean's, Canada's foremost news magazine. Maclean's published an excerpt, headlined "The Future Belongs to Islam," from Steyn's bestselling book "America Alone" in which he predicts a coming clash between an increasingly aggressive Islamic minority in Europe and the shrinking remnants of European post-Christian social values.
The CIC complained to the Human Rights Commission of "exposing Canadian Muslims to hatred and Islamophobia". A representative of the group claims the complaint is intended to "protect Canadian multiculturalism and tolerance"..........[snip]
[snip]Others have pointed out that the Human Rights Commissions are so weighted in favour of the complainant that it is wide open to abuse as a means of making money. Richard Warman, a far left human rights lawyer based in Ottawa, is a former employee and investigator for the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Warman has filed an unusually large number of complaints with the HRC against groups on the right and admitted that he files complaints in his spare time.
In 2006, in a keynote speech to the violent Anti-Racist Action group in Toronto, Warman described his high volume, tax-funded activism the "maximum disruption" approach to leftist agitation. "I've come to the conclusion that I can be most effective by using what I like to describe as a 'maximum disruption' approach...If I think that they've violated the Canadian Human Rights Act, then I'll look at all of the potential targets and file complaints against them starting on a 'worst offender' basis".
He added, "Sometimes if I just find people to be particularly annoying this may move them up the list a bit." Publicly available documents show that Warman has been awarded at least Cn. $48,500 in "special compensation" via Human Rights Tribunal complaints since 2003.............."
ping
Poor Moose Dung!
I thought taking on the witty, intelligent and remarkable Mark Steyn might just be a bridge to far for the multi-culti, we actually hate free speech bunch.
Just like it was not until the murder of Daniel Pearl did the media take notice that these radicals might be the bad guys.
Ach, they still don't believe that. We are still the bad guys. Just ask algore and jon carry.
This is what I expected. Marc Steyn is widely respected and is NOT known for pulling out the stops. Regretably, Canadians don’t seem to mind if a few preachers or Catholic bishops are ordered not to preach the Bible, but I think this case will backfire on the Tribunals.
The very name “Tribunal” makes me think of Napoleon or the French Terror. Definitely time to shut them down. How about it, you conservatives who are currently running the country?
Guantanamo and Abu Graib prove how bad Americans are, according to the MSM. Terrorists aren’t bad.
bump
The HRC has been trying to shut down FD for quite a while now.
A lawsuit has been served against our Canadian "sister" site, Free Dominion.
The case against Mark Stein has the almost amusing side-effect of proving him to have been correct in what he wrote, that started the whole mess in the first place.
He’s hauled up in front of the Human Rights Tribunal basically for writing something to the effect that Islam is obviously incompatible with modern western civilization.
And now, because Muslims are unable to deal with criticism and are hypersensitive... And dangerously so... His freedom of speech to criticize Islam must be curtailed.
Freedom, a hallmark of western civilization, is incompatible with Islam.
Q.E.D.
In other proceedings like slander or libel, truth is an affirmative defense. Curiously enough in these Canadian Human Rights Tribunal cases the truth is specifically NOT a defense. It doesn’t matter that what you say is verifiably true. It only matters that someone takes offense to it.
Its staggering. Even Stalin wasn’t so clever.
While Christians and social conservatives in Canada have been under attack through the HRC's for years, it was not until the case against popular columnist Mark Steyn and Maclean's magazine that the Canadian mainstream media has picked up the scent of a threat to their own freedoms.Thanks AB182.
You are welcome!
What human rights? There is no human right not to be offended. The only justifiable restriction to free speech would be a direct incitement to violence.
the Canadian Islamic Congress... complained to the Human Rights Commission of "exposing Canadian Muslims to hatred and Islamophobia". A representative of the group claims the complaint is intended to "protect Canadian multiculturalism and tolerance"... the Human Rights Commission... is wide open to abuse as a means of making money. Richard Warman, a far left human rights lawyer based in Ottawa, is a former employee and investigator for the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Warman has filed an unusually large number of complaints with the HRC against groups on the right and admitted that he files complaints in his spare time... "I've come to the conclusion that I can be most effective by using what I like to describe as a 'maximum disruption' approach...If I think that they've violated the Canadian Human Rights Act, then I'll look at all of the potential targets and file complaints against them starting on a 'worst offender' basis". He added, "Sometimes if I just find people to be particularly annoying this may move them up the list a bit." Publicly available documents show that Warman has been awarded at least Cn. $48,500 in "special compensation" via Human Rights Tribunal complaints since 2003..."
Warman needs a lot of light shown on him.
"The legislation...gives them permission to disregard the usual rules of legal procedures meant to protect defendants' rights such as rules of evidence, presumption of innocence, bias of witnesses or representation. Its officers and adjudicators do not have to have legal training but are political appointees, commonly representatives of special interest groups."Disregarding rules of evidence???
Disregarding presumption of innocence????
Disregarding bias of witnesses?????
Do you mean to tell me that this ignominious bilge has been the law in Canada since the 1970s! And Canadians are just now becoming alarmed about it?????
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