Damn Canadian Judges Dig This “Free Expression” Thing

Ontario Superior Court Of Justice, May 3, 2010. Click to read full ruling.

Toronto Star: Canadian Human Rights Commission Deserves A “B”

Toronto Star – Hate speech and the Canadian Human Rights Commission: B

Any restriction on speech has to have a clear social benefit, and so we recognize the Canadian Human Rights Commission for its decision in the Lemire case to deem the hate speech provision of the Canadian Human Rights Code to be unconstitutional.

vs.

Examiner – Don’t expect Commissioner Lynch to bring about change to way the system works, at least not in anyway that protects and respects the fundamental freedoms Canadians cherish such as free expression…

Asking Ms. Lynch this week about changing well documented problem behaviours in the CHRC, she tried to tell me that they are rated as one of the best places to work by civil servants and that they are continually improving.

“We are proud of how we accomplish our work,” says Lynch. I just wish the rest of us could say the same.

Epic Fail: Paper Tries To Stand Up For Free Speech, Ends Up On Its Knees

Bold ours.

Chilliwack Times, Open Letter to Readers – There has been much discussion lately about “free speech” in Canada. I use parentheses [sic] to denote a term that causes many individuals to have a gag reflex as they consider the term to be a uniquely American concept that has no relevancy with our sense of Canadian values. Call it “freedom of expression” or what have you, but I do have concerns about our willingness to acquiesce to seemingly arbitrary standards of conduct and speech imposed by quasi-judicial bodies. Their willingness to take away your right to expression should concern all of us.

Human Rights Defenders! Assemble!

The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) announced plans last month to close its regional offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax, a move some critics are calling an attack on the human rights system…

Taylor says the closure of the offices will actually deliver better service, because the CHRC is “taking management positions and turning them into front-line positions.”

Paper: The Case For Working Solo

Globe and Mail – Here’s a question for you: How many employees do you need before you have to start worrying about potential actions under federal or provincial human rights legislation? One? Ten? One hundred?

The answer is “yes.”…

If the BC Human Rights Tribunal is any guide, all you have to do is fire an employee who is absent from work for an extended period of time due to a medical disability by email and you could find yourself paying damages of $35,000 (not including legal fees) for “hurt feelings” because the employee was not terminated in person.

Canadian Human Rights Commission: Time To Straighten Out The Immigration And Health Bigots

Gazette – Here’s something to chew on: the Canadian Health Coalition estimates that Canada needs 5,200 more doctors. Okay, that probably won’t come as a surprise to many – particularly to those looking for a physician.

But what will come as a surprise – shock, more likely – to many is that there are countless doctors who were trained in other countries, who have passed all their Canadian qualifications, but who are being denied from practising in this country.

Why? Many of those being denied were trained in Africa, as well as in other parts of the planet. Could racism be at play? The Canadian Human Rights Commission considers that there is enough evidence of discrimination to warrant an investigation.

A Canadian’s Philosophical Dilemma

National Post – I can’t make up my mind which I want to come back as in my next life, a thin-skinned lesbian or a serial pedophile.

Awesome. The Human Right Not To Be Searched At The Border

Times Colonist – A Canadian woman who was strip-searched at the Ottawa Airport after returning from her grandmother’s funeral in Jamaica has decided to launch a human rights complaint.

Charmaine Archer, who holds dual citizenship with Jamaica, said she hopes her complaint will result in an investigation to prove that a report that traces of heroin and THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, were found on her toothbrush was fabricated to justify the strip search.

Putz Uses The “Thesaurus Defense”

National Post – In another case, [Dean Steacy, Canadian Human Rights investigator] said, “Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don’t give it any value” (a commission spokesperson said this quote has been taken out of context and that if the question had been about freedom of expression, one of the freedoms guaranteed in the Charter, the answer would have been different).

Tsk, Tsk. Don’t Bring Up America

Calgary Herald – American comedian Lenny Bruce showed long ago that anyone who walks into the arena of a comedy club leaves the polite confines of normal society behind.

vs.

Dean Steacy, Canadian Human Rights Commission investigator, quoted in the National Post, 2008 – “Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don’t give it any value.”

Bloggers, Reporters, Finally Do Homework

Toronto Sun – In an effort to be more efficient, the Canadian Human Rights Commission is closing three regional offices later this year…

And that’s what worries Ezra Levant, a free speech advocate and critic of the commission.

“My fear is that … they are just shutting down wasteful costly branch offices to regroup and be even more brutal out of their Stalinist bunker in Ottawa,” Levant said Friday. “Instead of spending money on rent and phones and things like that, they’re going to put more money into abusing our human rights.”

Great News. Justice Minister Says Human Rights Commission Answers To No One

Examiner – Gordon puts the closures and job cuts, which have not been confirmed in public by Commission staff, squarely at the feet of the Harper government. Yet a spokesperson for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says “The Canadian Human Rights Commission is an independent agency that administers the Canadian Human Rights Act without interference from the Government. This internal re-organization was a decision made by the Commission without direction or input from the Government.”

Public Service Alliance Of Canada: Now Nothing Can Stop The Racist Horde

Vancouver Sun – The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents CHRC workers, said in a statement that closing offices in Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver will make it harder for Canadians facing discrimination — especially new immigrants and racial minorities — to file complaints.

Disaster: CHRC Free Ride Feeling The Axe

CNW – The Public Service Alliance of Canada condemns the Harper government’s decision to close Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax. The union maintains that the closure of the three offices will make it substantially harder for individuals from marginalized groups to launch human rights complaints.

The three offices slated for closure received 70 per cent of all signed complaints to the CHRC in 2008.

Update: Not what you think.

Canadian Human Rights Commission Achieves Punch Line Status

Vancouver Sun – Inflammatory right-wing pundit Ann Coulter took aim at a University of Ottawa administrator Monday night, saying an e-mail from the school warning her to use “restraint, respect and consideration” when addressing Ontario students during a speaking tour this week made her a victim of a “hate crime.”…

“I’m sure the Human Rights Commission will get to the bottom of it,” Coulter said to loud cheers from the 800-strong audience. “I think I’m the victim of a hate crime here. Either what (Mr. Houle) did was a hate crime, or the whole commission is BS.”

Fired? Plenty Of Options

CleoNet – It outlines the steps to follow if dismissed from employment, such as taking precautionary measures, calculating or estimating termination pay, and dealing with the former employer. Finally, it deals with choosing the best legal process for enforcing rights, including the Ministry of Labour, Small Claims Court, Human Rights Tribunal, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

The Shotgun Method: One Out Of Three And You Have A Winner

Standard Freeholder – At the centre of the human rights case is a claim by Teiohontathe Fallan Davis. She alleges that because of her age, race and gender, the CBSA led an unjustified search and X-Ray of her vehicle at the Cornwall Island Port of Entry on Nov. 18, 2005. She was 23 at the time.

The Human Right To Better TV Coverage

Toronto Sun – The 2010 Paralympic Games kicked-off Friday night with a two-hour opening ceremony, but unless you get CTV’s Vancouver feed, you couldn’t watch it live…

Laurie Beachell, the national co-ordinator for the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, said his organization has already contacted the Canadian Human Rights Commission about CTV’s coverage of the Olympics, which included live web streaming that wasn’t captioned for people with vision impairments.

Steyn to “Human Rights” Commission: Eat Me

Steyn Online – I’m freer than I’ve ever been in Canada. I can say what I like and no “human rights” commission will accept a complaint against me ever again. Go on, try it. Because they know that, if they do, it’s not about me, it’s about them…If you stand up to the state enforcers and you fight them nimbly and publicly, they lose. When you go Magna Carta on Jennifer Lynch’s medieval ass, she can’t take it, and like all bullies she’ll slink off to kick around an easier victim.

Clothes Discrimination Complaint Brought To CHRC

Safety advisor says women shouldn’t have skirts down to the floor while on the job? Bigots!

UPS: just another name for our list of People Getting/Already Screwed.

[UPI] A Muslim Canadian woman claims she lost her job scanning boxes at United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE:UPS) because she refused to hike up her long skirt to her knees.

Nadifo Yusuf, 35, told the Canadian Human Rights Commission she had worked at the Toronto delivery plant as a temporary employee for two years wearing a traditional hijab, headscarf and skirt with no problem — even tucking in her hijab and raising her skirt to mid-calf for safety reasons.

But around April 2005, when her job was changed to a full-time unionized position, she was told to hike her skirt to knee-length or face losing her job for safety reasons, The Toronto Star reported.

Maybe there is a reason...?

Canadian Human Rights Chief: Realizing “Our” Mission

Oh. You thought the head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission worked for Canadians, just because you pay her salary? Silly you. Canada’s just a small cog in the World Congress Mission Machine (we’re not being paranoid; they actually call themselves the World Congress, and Lynch herself talks about their “mission.”)

We got her pic from the University of Ottawa, where Lynch is a Board of Governors member.

Lynch is also the chair of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Quite a title.

We admire her. All of that money and power, and no pesky elections to get in the way.

Way to go, Jenny!

[Speech by Jennifer Lynch, Q.C., to the World Congress of Rehabilitation International]

When I was asked by Rehabilitation International to attend this conference, I accepted instantly. I have a deep respect for the work that you do. In addition, the theme of this World Congress – building an inclusive society— is central to the work of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, both domestically and internationally.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first convention of the 21st century, is rapidly becoming one of the most ratified treaties in the human rights system. Rehabilitation International played a seminal role, by bringing attention to the need for the international protection of these rights and in the drafting of the Convention.

Here we are– just 8 years into the new Millenium – and we find ourselves at an interesting, challenging and hopeful time. A time when the opportunity of realizing our mission of building an inclusive society is in sight…

Federal Court: Canadian Human Rights Commission Must Hold New Hearing For Cop

[Chatham Daily News] A former RCMP undercover drug cop will have second chance to argue that he was passed over for a job of overseeing an elite unit because he’s black.

A federal court has ruled that the Canadian Human Rights Commission must hold a new hearing for Joseph Herbert, 41, who grew up in Toronto’s Jane Street — Finch Avenue area.

The commission had previously dismissed his claim that he was not made head of an air marshal program because of his race. He appealed that decision to the federal court.

Canadian Human Rights Commission To Spies: You’re Next

Yes, the human rights commissions were started to make sure people could get a roof over their heads without discrimination. And yes, they now investigate and prosecute every public or private sector of the country, including national security.

Enjoy it, you pay for it.

[Calgary Herald] Current laws do not effectively protect against human rights violations by Canada’s security intelligence agencies, concludes a study undertaken for the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

The commission asked four Toronto human rights lawyers to examine the extent to which the RCMP, CSIS, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) and the bodies that monitor them are legally obliged to consider human rights issues when discharging their duties.

It commissioned the study because of concern that laws enacted in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks might unfairly target certain groups based on their race, religion or ethnic origin.

The rest.