Jonathan Kay: How 9/11 killed Canadians’ appetite for human-rights speech codes

...Even before 9/11, the notion that neo-Nazism and KKK-style racism was still a real and lingering threat to Canada’s social fabric was beginning to wear very thin. But Section 13 and its provincial equivalents remained on the books anyway. Canadian society, then as now, felt vaguely guilty about the (very real) mistreatment historically doled out to Jews, blacks, aboriginals and immigrants. And though many Canadians rolled their eyes at the manner by which human-rights commissions were expanding the definition of “discrimination,” most bien-pensant types still saw eliminating racism as a more important project than protecting free speech.

All of this changed on October 20, 2006, the publication date of Mark Steyn’s famousMaclean’s magazine essay “The future belongs to Islam” (adapted from his book,America Alone. Its theme was that an enfeebled West was under demographic siege from Muslim immigrant populations bristling with militant attitudes and unassimilated young men. Mohamed Elmasry of the Canadian Islamic Congress launched complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission and its provincial equivalents in B.C. and Ontario. Around the same time, the (now defunct) Western Standard magazine, published by current Sun News talking head Ezra Levant, printed the infamousJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, which elicited a separate set of human rights complaints from Syed Soharwardy of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada. The backlash against these two (unsuccessful) human-rights prosecutions ultimately is what led to the elimination of Section 13 of the Human Rights Act.

Read the whole article at THE NATIONAL POST

Canada's unelected Senate holding up Bill that protects free speech

Last June many of us who had been fighting to end Canada’s ridiculous internet censorship law breathed a big sigh of relief. Conservative MP Brian Storseth’s bill to remove section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act had passed third reading and was on its way to becoming law.

Yet here we are eight months after the bill was voted through the House of Commons and it is still not passed into law. Why?

Because the bill is stuck in the Senate, that upper chamber of sober second thought.
The bill was introduced in the Senate, and is supported, by Conservative Doug Finley. But since June when Finley introduced the bill two Conservatives have spoken out against C-304 and in favour of section 13 – Pierre Claude Nolin and Nancy Ruth.

This bill, which is a private members bill and therefore does not have the full endorsement of the government, is not assured of passing the Senate.

More at Lilley's Pad 

Muslim fundamentalists Vs Gay equity grievance-mongers

It was just a matter of time...  Still no comment from the idiots at Queers Against Israeli Apartheid...

Ontario Human Rights Commission investigating whether to make crackheads and alcoholics* a protected category

* I meant "cocaine-challenged and alcohol-deprived citizens"

No, I'm not making this up:

Toronto - The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a survey today to learn more about the human rights issues and barriers people with mental health and addiction disabilities face. The survey kicks off a broader consultation process on human rights and mental health-related issues.  

The questions are aimed at learning how discrimination because of a person’s mental health issue or addiction may affect their ability to find and keep a job, get an apartment or connect with education and health-related services.

Ezra Levant loses libel case to Giacomo "Serenity Now" Vigna

Ezra Levant was sued for libel and defamation for calling Human Rights Commission lawyer Giacomo Vigna a "fibber" when Vigna claimed he needed an adjournment before a Human Rights Commission hearing because he wasn't feeling "serene."

The judge ruled that Vigna was defamed because there was no proof Vigna was lying, or "fibbing" when he made the claim.

Vigma also claimed "defamation" for mocking comments Levant made about Vigna, referring to him as "Serenity Now" Vigna and comparing him to George Costanza's father on Seinfeld.

The judge ruled that while the comments were mocking, they were not defamatory.

So do NOT call "Serenity Now" Vigna a fibber. He isn't a fibber, he just wasn't serene.

Save the Kitty!! Blazing Cat Fur being sued for linking to a website!

From blogger Blazing Cat Fur:

"About 18 months ago everybody's favourite Ex-Canadian Human Rights Commission employee Richard Warman launched one of his many, as in very many, SLAPP [Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation] suits against yours truly for, among other dastardly deeds, linking to the "far-right web site http://www.steynonline.com/". Sheesh everybody knows Mark Steyn is controversial...


It gets better. I'm also being sued for linking to a web site while specifically referring to "the allegations" against Richard Warman.."

If you feel acts like this are an attack on free speech in Canada, you can go to the link below and help out BCF with his legal defense with a Paypal donation through his "Feed the Kitty" link.

Blazing Cat Fur: Richard Warman Sues Blazingcatfur For Linking To "Far Right" Mark Steyn