Athanasios Hadjis buys a clue: The Feds, not so much
“It has an effect on the citizens of Canada who may be near that line [of hate speech] but not crossing it,” Mr. Hadjis said. These people can nevertheless find themselves “dragged through the process” of a human rights complaint, he said.”...
“It’s a different context,” Mr. Hadjis said, noting that every newspaper now has a Web site.
“Suddenly all these declarations that may have legitimately been made on paper, in the age of Taylor, will be caught by Section 13.”
Mr. Fothergill answered that if Section 13 puts a chill on public discourse, it is only to be around the fringes of hate speech, and that this is not “a terribly bad outcome.”
“A little bit of chilling … is tolerable,” he said. national post
It seems to be dawning on the Member hearing the Lemire case that the internet may be somewhat different from a “dial a hate message” telephone system. Kathy has a lot more here.
The feds are trying desperately to save s. 13. This is a huge political failure on the part of the CPC. The Department of Justice was told by the Liberal government to intervene in Lemire on the side of the CHRC - it was open to the CPC to say either a) don’t intervene, b) intervene on Lemire’s behalf. It did neither which is to the CPC’s shame.
Remember, if a candidate knocks on your door, ask them point blank what their position is on the abolition of s.13 of the CHRA. If they don’t know what you are talking about, tell them, if they do and indicate support for the act, try out the “gottcha” – So you are against Free Speech then?
This is political and candidates need to know it.
September 16th, 2008 at 10:16 am
LOL…unfortunately I have Pratt (ex DND “Lucy” worked for) or Baird (gleeming whiter teeth) dealing with a 6 year old Ottawa River SHIT disaster he never knew about either.
Even “Lucy” ran in that riding so…?
Sheese…talk about dumb or dumber…where are the McKenzie Brothers or the Trailer Park Boys when they are needed the most?
September 16th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Rob Nicholson has been a total washout as a justice Minister and his defense of HRC malfeasance by being an intervenor is just the last drop of poop to fall from his vacant ministry…he has to be pink slipped along with the current CHRC exec. staff.
This loser and his leader’s noncommittal silence on the HRC/free speech issue is the primary reason I’m voting for an independent candidate this year. I’m fortunate a viable Independent showed up in my riding or I would have had to have voted for the Liberal candidate because he is on record as wanting toe change section 13 of the CHR act.
Nicholson; you’re a worthless teat and a shame to principled conservatism!
September 16th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Funny, that the line between print and the Internet has been erased is exactly what I told the CHRT when I testified in the Zundel case eight years ago. Scroll down to [215] to see a bare summary here: http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/z/zundel-ernst/chrc/judgment.html
I warned them that extending CHRC jurisdiction over the Internet would chill Canadian newspapers and magazines to death. But did they listen? Well, perhaps they are listening now.