Do I hear a collective groan from M-446 supporters? Yes; getting rid of Section 13 won’t be much help if every Canadian province has a human rights code that contains wording similar to (b), which is virtually the same used in the key phrase in Section 13.(*)
(The hearing schedule notes that the Section 7 complaint addresses “religion” as the specific area of discrimination in the Elmasry/Habib complaint.)
This might partly explain the great confidence displayed by Canadian Islamic Congress lawyer Faisal Joseph at Wednesday’s press conference.
“If Maclean’s is ready to consider an opportunity for the Muslim population to have its say, we are ready for reasonable conciliation … One way or another it’s going to be dealt with, either by agreement or by an imposed decision.”
Joseph may not be bluffing. He may figure that even if his clients lose the Section 7 complaint in BC, there is a good chance that the CHRC tribunal will hear a version of the BC complaint under Section 13.
The rest.
Down With Everybody 