Keep Your Mouth Shut And Chill

The Canadian Human Rights Commission is back in the news. They're trying to pin another hate crime on Marc Lemire, a man described as a white supremacist and bigot.

If Lemire is those things, then he is to be scorned and laughed at. But I still think it's abysmal that Canada has a commission which attempts to shut people up if they "are likely to expose a person or group to hatred or contempt" by speaking their minds.

Okay, so describe "contempt." Or "likely." Or "hatred." And which "someone" are you allowed to ridicule, versus the "someone" you can't.

Today, I saw a story in the National Post. It's a disgrace. For the first time, we actually have a human rights bureaucrat (Hadjis) questioning the legitimacy of muzzling Canadian citizens. This is big news. It means the very people that have been punishing citizens for their words and thoughts are wondering if things have gone too far. And what is the government's response? The Attorney General's lawyer, Fothergill, says that "chilling" Canadian discourse is okay because it might stop a few haters.

Here is an email I sent to a Conservative candidate for parliament:

I am curious what your stance is on the Canadian Human Rights Commission. I was stunned to see this statement in the National Post today:

Mr. Hadjis expressed skepticism of Mr. Fothergill’s claim that the core of the legal analysis remains unchanged in the digital age, even though the scope of the law is drastically widened from the original "telephonic communications."

"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 [lawyer for Attorney General] 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.

It’s "tolerable" to frighten Canadian citizens into thinking they should keep their mouths shut? This is a disgraceful thing to say in a democratic society. Please tell me your views. I feel human rights commissions should be severely curtailed, if not outright disbanded. I also know for a fact that this is a big issue for many people in this country right now.

Thank you.

I am not one to send emails to politicians over anything, but this is the last straw. The Attorney General is supposed to stand up for Canada's laws and traditions. He has sold that duty down the river, and his privilege of serving this country should be revoked immediately.

I am going to send this email to as many politicians as I can, because I want them on the record before election day. I don't care which party they belong to. If they're for getting rid of this ridiculous assault on Canada's freedom of expression, then they deserve support and respect. Otherwise, forget it.