Liberal Fascism--Canada edition

David Warren:

At the moment, a number of "interesting" cases are coming before Canada's inaptly-named "human rights commissions." I have mentioned in this space before the case being brought against Maclean's magazine, for publishing an excerpt from a book by Mark Steyn, by the Canadian Islamic Congress.

Ezra Levant has just gone on "trial" before an Alberta "human rights" tribunal, for what he had published in the (now defunct) Western Standard newsmagazine two years ago. He ran examples of the Danish cartoons on the Prophet Mohammed -- to show readers that the fuss over them was overblown. His right to publish is being contested.

Catholic Insight, a monthly published from Toronto, is being prosecuted by a man in Edmonton for upholding the Catholic position on homosexuality ("hate the sin and love the sinner"), and for having vigorously opposed the "gay rights" agenda.

There are other meandering cases in the works, or that were in the works, often against Internet website owners or the contributors to their online forums. It is almost impossible to get clear information about these. In the notification process, the recipient of a human rights complaint need not be told who the complainant is, or what he is alleging. The recipient is just left to guess for a while, as the bureaucratic machinery of quasi-legal "justice" proceeds at its glacial pace. Truth and rumours become hard to distinguish in this kafkaesque environment.

From the above we may begin to deduce that there are two classes of Canadian writers (including journalists, authors of books, and contributors to the Internet) who should not, at this moment, feel threatened with the loss of their freedom. These are gay activists, and fanatical Islamists. I would guess that radical feminists are also pretty safe -- for the moment. And perhaps also those who harbour deep racial resentments against people with white skins. Everyone else is a "fair target."

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This is the ideology of Canada's "liberal" elites. (I stand it in quotes because it is another Orwellian reversal of a term: the contemporary liberal has views directly opposed to those traditionally associated with liberalism.)

Every society contains people who are seething with resentment against some individual or class -- sometimes with cause, and often without it. The creation of any quasi-legal bureaucracy to purge notional sins, plays into their hands. If that bureaucracy also subsidizes complaints, and strips all defendants of due process, of course it will be used for execrable motives. The complainant can't lose, the defendant can't win, under such a system. Canada's "human rights" commissions were designed to be abused.

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Re-establishing the rule of law in Canada is a huge task. But it has to start somewhere, and getting rid of the obscene "human rights" commissions is a good enough place to start.

These ridiculous cases stem from a belief that certain groups have a right to be free from being offended by what others may say about them. That they have the right to respond to offense is not enough, they must suppress those who disagree with them. At least one of the cases also challenges religious expression and beliefs. Canada needs to quit embarrassing itself and get rid of these panels before people are robbed of their freedom. Tolerance needs to extend to the free expression of ideas.