Now would be a good time to go for their throat.

A victory for free speech! It's a beautiful thing.

Styne actually wanted to lose the case so that he could challenge the ruling in a real court.

re: #3 Ringo the Gringo

Probably why they dropped it.

One small victory on the road of preserving our precious free speech rights in the West. I pray for many more!

Do they REALLY think Mark Steyn will stop paying attention to them now?

BWA HA HA HA HA HA !

Hurrah Canada!

Can they be sued for wrongful prosecution or libel? Anything to nail them.

This is like a cancer. You cannot let it go. Or like the beast Grendel it must be tracked down into it's cave and destroyed.

They dropped the case against Styne and Macleans in order to not have to find them innocent of the charges, something that has never happened in the entire history of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Thank God they stopped their inquisition! May they never begin such witchhunts again.

As Steyn noted, it probably would have been better had he lost. This way, the whole stinking artifice will continue.

Sunlight and scrutiny.

The Alberta Human Rights Council and the Canadian Human Right Council are separate entities (akin to state vs federal). The Canadian HRC has dropped its case. However, the British Columbia HRC's case still proceeds.

Actually, the post title should be changed to reflect the fact that it was the Canadian (i.e., national) HRC that blinked in this case.

it's amazing how quickly a little light makes the roaches scurry away.

Hard to argue against sanity.
But they certainly try.
Bully this !

Too slow as always. #14 got to this point first (and with more details).

Good news/bad news. I think Steyn himself was saying he wanted to go all the way with this, to force a, you know, REAL court to decide on the constitutionality of the HRC.

Could the Human Rights council be brought before itself for violating Steyn's human rights?

I made a small contribution to Ezra Levants defense fund a while back. He's sent me a very gracious thank-you e-mail...

Dear James,

I know a lot of time has passed since you generously donated to my legal defence fund, but I wanted to take a moment, now that I have a chance to catch my breath, to let you know how grateful I am for your contribution.

I've really been running at full speed for six months -- fending off two human rights commission complaints (one was dropped, but the other continues), and a bunch of nuisance suits from lawyers in the human rights industry. (The fact that we had a little baby right in the middle of everything has been the biggest reason I've been so busy!) I've also tried to fight back hard in the court of public opinion, stirring up opposition to the kind of censorship that has trapped me.

Please forgive me for my delay in writing to you -- I'm sorry.

I don't know if you saw it on my blog, but I attended a few days of Mark Steyn's show trial in Vancouver last month. As you know, he and Maclean's magazine were charged with illegal "discrimination" for publishing an excerpt of his book, "America Alone". It's the same law I've been charged under for publishing the Danish cartoons. I was charged in spring of 2006, but I still haven't had my trial, so it was interesting to see what Mark's looked like.

Frankly, it was an embarrassment. I cringed, not only as a lawyer, but as a citizen. I couldn't believe the kangaroo court antics of the prosecution. They really brought our legal system into disrepute. The tribunal actually spent an hour arguing over whether or not a particular joke made by Mark Steyn was funny. As the Vancouver Sun wrote, the human rights tribunal "murdered their own reputation". That's true. But they don't care. As long as they have the power to censor political ideas they disagree with, they'll keep doing it. I was so proud of Maclean's for fighting back. I promise to, as well.

Because it's not just about my case, or Mark Steyn's. It's about weeding out these un-Canadian laws altogether, and protecting freedom of speech.

Your contribution has been essential to me. Maclean's magazine is part of a large company that was able to send in Canada's best lawyers to fight on Mark Steyn's behalf. But without your donation, I'm afraid I would have been crushed under the legal onslaught a long time ago. Between the human rights complaints and the nuisance suits, I'm receiving bills of $5,000 to $10,000 a month from my lawyers. The human rights commission is clearly trying to break me -- I have received several "plea bargain" offers, where if I just "admit" that I'm wrong, and pay a fine, it will all go away. That would certainly be cheaper and quicker. But there is no way I could live with myself if I did that. If anything, that would only embolden them.

My goal is simple: I want to stop these commissions dead in their tracks.

Thanks for letting me give you an update. And, once again, please accept my sincere apologies for being delinquent in sending you a thank-you note. I have been meaning to do so for a while, and I'm sorry I left the impression that I took your support for granted.

Yours gratefully,

Ezra Levant

P.S. I promise I'll keep fighting as hard and as smart as I can.

re: #9 lifeofthemind

This is like a cancer. You cannot let it go. Or like the beast Grendel it must be tracked down into it's cave and destroyed.

Nothing like a good Beowulf reference.

As long as the bureaucracy remains intact, free speech in Canada will remain under threat by the thought police.

re: #14 dhawken

The Alberta Human Rights Council and the Canadian Human Right Council are separate entities (akin to state vs federal). The Canadian HRC has dropped its case. However, the British Columbia HRC's case still proceeds.

Good point. Charles, correction needed.

re: #20 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Could the Human Rights council be brought before itself for violating Steyn's human rights?

Perfect!

re: #20 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Could the Human Rights council be brought before itself for violating Steyn's human rights?

Yes! Let us watch the worm ouroboros eat it's own tail.

That’s the first smart thing they’ve done; because the sooner they can get the public scrutiny to go away, the sooner they can go about prosecuting their less well-heeled targets, people who can’t afford Canada’s best lawyers and command the attention and affection of the country’s literati.

And that remains the problem, even after today. They can and will likely go after those who are less capable of defending themselves out of the costs and time involved to appear in these star chamber proceedings.

The people working for the Canadian Human Rights Commission should be ashamed of themselves. They aren't for any freedom, especially from Government oppression. What a bloody joke they are.

Have to start smuggling old copies of "Guns & Ammo" up to Canada.

Good.

Now to get the HRC's abolished.

re: #14 dhawken

The Alberta Human Rights Council and the Canadian Human Right Council are separate entities (akin to state vs federal). The Canadian HRC has dropped its case. However, the British Columbia HRC's case still proceeds.

Corrected.

re: #20 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Could the Human Rights council be brought before itself for violating Steyn's human rights?

Or go all out and have Dou Dou investigate them. You know- cause everyone fears the UN. *snicker*

It's NOT a victory for free speech. The key line is this:

... That’s the first smart thing they’ve done; because the sooner they can get the public scrutiny to go away, the sooner they can go about prosecuting their less well-heeled targets, people who can’t afford Canada’s best lawyers and command the attention and affection of the country’s literati.

re: #28 rightymouse

The people working for the Canadian Human Rights Commission should be ashamed of themselves. They aren't for any freedom, especially from Government oppression. What a bloody joke they are.

Hiya, toots! These folks HAVE no shame as they're completely convinced that what they do is the be all and end all.

Makes me ashamed of my old stomping grounds but I'm so glad these bullies were smacked down.

Wonder when the muslim sock puppets will start seething...

I'll bring popcorn. :D

There is NO right to be free from insult. The sooner the world learns that the sooner we can move on.

Steyn is a treasure to behold and very succinctly elucidates the logic and commonsense of his positions. No idea what the far left says about him in the fever swamp blogs. Canadians who are blind to his wisdom are clueless ideologues.

If I want an idea about what a particular issue is, I can read the "news" and editorial pages of the NY Times and realize that the opposite is generally the truth. Steyn, Krauthammer and Victor Davis Hanson speak plainly. And that pol Bolton isn't too shabby either.

re: #35 jamgarr

There is NO right to be free from insult. The sooner the world learns that the sooner we can move on.

FASCIST!

re: #22 Ford_Prefect

Nothing like a good Beowulf reference.

Yes, but once again the patriarchy rears its ugly and sexist head. Why is Grendal's Mother only known by her relationship to her son? Why doesn't she have a name of her own? Why is her identity as a terrorizing monster minimized thrown into juxtaposition with her role as a mother?

/moonbat academic feminist theory off

re: #22 Ford_Prefect

Yes, but who's Grendel's mom?

Glad to hear it.

re: #37 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

FASCIST!

Hey, you insulted me!

The only question remaining is whether Heather MacNaughton, chief kangaroo of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, will convict Maclean's. The "jurisprudence" is there; Maclean's surely is "guilty" of "likely" "exposing" someone to "hatred or contempt". Everyone's guilty of that; so the only question is who gets charged.

There it is.

The free speech fight still isn't over-- not until these kangaroo 'courts' are abolished.

One of the most troubling aspects of this case (and of Wilder's Fitna as well) is that the Islamists are whining when THEIR OWN WORDS, IMAGES, and DOCUMENTS are pulled into the light of day.

re: #39 Dianna

Yes, but who's Grendel's mom?

Mrs. G?

re: #38 goddessoftheclassroom

It's still a good question, though.

I lift a "Tom Horton's" Double to Levant and Steyn. After hours I will lift a double martini to them.

-S-

If Obama's elected, I wouldn't be surprised if he assembles some sort of kangaroo court on behalf of islam - of course it would be under the guise of protecting all religions. Such a monstrosity is the logical extrapolation of our hate crime laws.

re: #43 dahozho

The free speech fight still isn't over-- not until these kangaroo 'courts' are abolished.

One of the most troubling aspects of this case (and of Wilder's Fitna as well) is that the Islamists are ALWAYS whining when THEIR OWN WORDS, IMAGES, and DOCUMENTS are pulled into the light of day.

re: #38 goddessoftheclassroom

Yes, but once again the patriarchy rears its ugly and sexist head. Why is Grendal's Mother only known by her relationship to her son? Why doesn't she have a name of her own? Why is her identity as a terrorizing monster minimized thrown into juxtaposition with her role as a mother?

/moonbat academic feminist theory off

AAAHH!

I'm having Lit class flashbacks.

re: #21 BignJames

Wow, that's a great letter and I seriously doubt it's entirely cut and paste from his prior writings.

re: #44 VegasRick

Sigh.

In this particular iteration, I would like to know who will play the role of Grendel's mother, and attack Heorot, turning the feast to mourning.

re: #43 dahozho

Indeed- look at the Muslim cartoons controversy. Islamomutants going postal calling for death to those who dare criticize Islamists for their own insane acts and statements. Death to the infidel! Support mental health or I'll kill you!

Well well, another poke in the eye for the ministry of truth.
(aka CHRC).
Steyn of course will ,like a dog with a bone ,get some serious mileage out of this one and so he should .
It's about time the thought police got a good kicking.

re: #51 Dianna

Sigh.

In this particular iteration, I would like to know who will play the role of Grendel's mother, and attack Heorot, turning the feast to mourning.

Hillary?

re: #38 goddessoftheclassroom

You should provide a "put down the liquids" warning before that.

You can add "Why would Beowulf travel to interfere in the domestic cultures and disputes of other lands? Was he a proto Cheney enthralled to a proto Haliburton? Is his departure from his home where his societies womyn could supervise him an expression of his repressed homosexuality?"

re: #28 rightymouse

re: #28 rightymouse

The people working for the Canadian Human Rights Commission should be ashamed of themselves. They aren't for any freedom, especially from Government oppression. What a bloody joke they are.

Actually the CHRC are also going after government itself. They are currently prosecuting a Member of Parliament in Saskatchewan for the content of a pamphlet he distributed to his constituents dealing with aboriginal issues. The Canada Government attempted to have the whole thing thrown on the grounds that the CHRC has no jurisdiction and, as a Member of Parliament, this MPs material was protected. The Government of Canada just lost that one and of the Member of Parliament is now going to go on trial.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Watch for fast response from MPs now.

re: #9 lifeofthemind

This is like a cancer. You cannot let it go. Or like the beast Grendel it must be tracked down into it's cave and destroyed.

Actually, they're more like Morlocks retreating back underground. But in a way, that's a good thing: if they're Morlocks, then they are also lunch for our lizard army.

re: #34 Miss Trixie

Hiya, toots! These folks HAVE no shame as they're completely convinced that what they do is the be all and end all.

Makes me ashamed of my old stomping grounds but I'm so glad these bullies were smacked down.

Wonder when the muslim sock puppets will start seething...

I'll bring popcorn. :D

Hiya back, toots!

Is there some background I can read on how the Human Rights Councils came into being? Am presuming that the idea came from a liberal (or several) with nothing better to do than dream of Stalinistic measures to 'protect' itty-bitty feelings at the expense of sanity and logic?

re: #54 goddessoftheclassroom

Not unless she proposes to become a Canadian citizen and join the commissions.

re: #48 VegasRick

My point was actually that there is nothing libelous or slanderous in either Steyn's or Wilder's work-- and therefore no legally actionable points, except in the thought police's star chambers.

re: #55 lifeofthemind

You should provide a "put down the liquids" warning before that.

You can add "Why would Beowulf travel to interfere in the domestic cultures and disputes of other lands? Was he a proto Cheney enthralled to a proto Haliburton? Is his departure from his home where his societies womyn could supervise him an expression of his repressed homosexuality?"

Oh, that's very good!

re: #59 Dianna

Not unless she proposes to become a Canadian citizen and join the commissions.

Oops, I lost your train of thought--sorry! I just liked picturing her as Grendel's Mother...

re: #21 BignJames I wish I could give you a hundred updings on that one.
THANK YOU.

BLAME CANADA!

re: #57 Dark_Falcon

Actually, they're more like Morlocks retreating back underground. But in a way, that's a good thing: if they're Morlocks, then they are also lunch for our lizard army.

Another solution, harpoons attached to high powered winches. Spear them and drag them back into the light.

re: #55 lifeofthemind

You should provide a "put down the liquids" warning before that.

You can add "Why would Beowulf travel to interfere in the domestic cultures and disputes of other lands? Was he a proto Cheney enthralled to a proto Haliburton? Is his departure from his home where his societies womyn could supervise him an expression of his repressed homosexuality?"

Too funny.

re: #56 Judith

re: #28 rightymouse

Actually the CHRC are also going after government itself. They are currently prosecuting a Member of Parliament in Saskatchewan for the content of a pamphlet he distributed to his constituents dealing with aboriginal issues. The Canada Government attempted to have the whole thing thrown on the grounds that the CHRC has no jurisdiction and, as a Member of Parliament, this MPs material was protected. The Government of Canada just lost that one and of the Member of Parliament is now going to go on trial.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Watch for fast response from MPs now.

See #58 post to Trixie. This boggles the mind. How do they have this kind of power?

If you have to confront a Grendel, it's wise to bring something in Beowulf along with you.

re: #62 goddessoftheclassroom

Yes, you can picture her ferocity as she rips the doors of the hall from their hinges!

*cheers loudly*

Of course , since every town, hamlet and neighborhood has one of these star chambers, it never ends. Sort of like Britain with its thought police council cops.

Great news, but vampires need a wooden stake to the heart, plus sunlight, then they go away. Otherwise, they return.

OT-If you make a donation to Americans United for Change today, you could win a day on the Bush Legacy Bus -- and trust us, our bus is way cooler than John McCain's.

Here's the link: [Link: secure.americansunitedforchange.org...]

Hey, I think these douche bags are operation an illegal lottery...at least it is in MN.

Minnesota Statutes 609.755 ACTS OF OR RELATING TO GAMBLING

"a drawing organizer may not imply that a participant must pay a donation for the chance to win a prize (for example, "suggested donation $5), or may not coerce a participant to pay a donation for the chance to win a prize. If the organizer implies or coerces the participant in any manner, there is a substantial risk of violating lax."

Reading the MEMRI article by the Syrian journalist.

[Link: www.memri.org...]

"From the screen, it seemed to us as though the plane would be passing over Palestine - over Haifa, in particular. Just before we reached Haifa's airspace, the widescreen stopped showing the flight trajectory and the place over which it was flying. Instead, it started to show announcements about the importance of the hijab and encouragement to wear it, and so on.

On the state owned airlines.

Imagine.

re: #68 Occasional Reader

If you have to confront a Grendel, it's wise to bring something in Beowulf along with you.

Gotta' get me one of those.

re: #60 dahozho

My point was actually that there is nothing libelous or slanderous in either Steyn's or Wilder's work-- and therefore no legally actionable points, except in the thought police's star chambers.

Agreed. PC gone wild. Screw them and the horses**t they rode in on.

re: #65 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Another solution, harpoons attached to high powered winches. Spear them and drag them back into the light.

That would better if we think of them as vampires, and that analogy works well too. Expose the blood suckers to the sunlight of reason and watch them catch fire.

re: #57 Dark_Falcon

Actually, they're more like Morlocks retreating back underground. But in a way, that's a good thing: if they're Morlocks, then they are also lunch for our lizard army.

They don't deserve the Lizard Army. We need a carps of attack daschunds to drag these weasels out of their holes.

The HRC was founded in response to vicious antiSemitic and Holocaust denial activities going on in the 1970s. It was an attempt to silence the very people now going after Steyn, i.e. "The Jews Are Responsible for Evil" folks. It was strongly endorsed, supported and partially written by the Jewish the community.

Okay, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

re: #79 lifeofthemind

We need a carps of attack daschunds

An inspirational typo: Release the attack carps!

(with frickkin' laser beams on their heads)

re: #77 buzzsawmonkey

The time to lop off Holofernes' head is when he is groggy.

Holoferns? Aren't those what you find in Deepspace 9 wine bars?

re: #14 dhawken Question for you - in the US system, if the Fed's had found you not guilty of some breach of Federal Law, a State court could not prosecute you for the same offense.
Are you saying that each province in Canada has their own "Star Chamber" regardless of the findings of the Canadian "Star Chamber"?

re: #80 Judith

The HRC was founded in response to vicious antiSemitic and Holocaust denial activities going on in the 1970s. It was an attempt to silence the very people now going after Steyn, i.e. "The Jews Are Responsible for Evil" folks. It was strongly endorsed, supported and partially written by the Jewish the community.

Okay, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

It evolved into something very different.

I sometimes wish they had allowed the travesty to continue - Steyn and MacLeans would have destroyed the CHRC entirely. But this is a happy outcome too - Steyn and MacLeans are spared the legal fees, and the CHRC are still under investigation by 2 bodies and Federal MP Keith Martin (a Liberal, who knew?) has introduced a private member's bill to trim the CHRC of the power of censorship.
Happy days.
Hopefully the BCHRT and the Alberta HRT will find against respectively Steyn/MacLeans and Levant so that pressure builds to geld the provincial spawn of the CHRC as well.

Take that, you pompous, self-righteous assholes!

re: #81 Occasional Reader

An inspirational typo: Release the attack carps!

(with frickkin' laser beams on their heads)

Glad I'd finished my coffee before I read that!
(actually, finished it before the whole deconstructionist lit discussion too-- and a good thing!)

Told you the enemy is weak and pathetic. They have no balls for a real fight.

In the words of the great Bob Marley:

"Get up, stand up. Stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up. Don't give up the fight."

re: #81 Occasional Reader

An inspirational typo: Release the attack carps!

(with frickkin' laser beams on their heads)

But then we would need some way to affix stale bread to the enemy so the carp could track them.

re: #80 Judith Um, Judith, if you can, can you answer my #83, please?

I'm dying to see how the CHRC spins this to make it look as if they "won". Could some Canadian Lizard please keep me updated?

They must've checked the truth, as opposed to the liberal plug their ears and yell I can't hear you.

rightymouse

These commissions are like a can of worms and I have no clue where to start looking for the beginning, however, Judith's post#80 is a good start. Why not email Ezra?

My google-fu skills are sadly lacking.

re: #94 buzzsawmonkey

(Sigh) Nobody reads the Apocrypha anymore.

It's on my Summer Reading "to do" list ,, I swear !

The tribunal actually spent an hour arguing over whether or not a particular joke made by Mark Steyn was funny.

The mercy laugh in Whistler didn't count.

re: #80 Judith

The HRC was founded in response to vicious antiSemitic and Holocaust denial activities going on in the 1970s. It was an attempt to silence the very people now going after Steyn, i.e. "The Jews Are Responsible for Evil" folks. It was strongly endorsed, supported and partially written by the Jewish the community.

Okay, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I suggest you check my LGF motto:

"Free Speech solves many problems, including itself."

SUE the mind-crime leftist fascist anti-free speech bastards in clown shoes. What a colossal waste of time and money.

re: #27 lawhawk

And that remains the problem, even after today. They can and will likely go after those who are less capable of defending themselves out of the costs and time involved to appear in these star chamber proceedings.

Thank goodness that we have the ACLU! 'Cause they'll dive right on on any American's case such as this!

/s....etc., etc.

re: #94 buzzsawmonkey

(Sigh) Nobody reads the Apocrypha anymore.

(waving hand in the air enthusiastically) I do!

re: #72 rawmuse

Great news, but vampires need a wooden stake to the heart, plus sunlight, then they go away. Otherwise, they return.

Make an extra batch of concrete to cover the ground over them.

The HRC is a travesty of justice in any civilized society.
There are several of the multitude of liberals I know personally (hard to live in the greater Seattle area and not) who had said at different times "If X happens, I am moving to Canada, where things are so much better than the U.S.!"

When I mention little things like the HRC, they do the intellectual equivalent of sticking their fingers in their ears and going "lalalalalalala!"

re: #80 Judith

Oh, dear. Actually, the consequences were predictable, but I suppose the people pushing it were upset.

Ah, The CHRC runs away, to persecute another day.

OT :

John McCain: Lying Racist

McCain's 71 years have given him not only vastly more experience than Obama, the new thinking goes, they have ensured that America will have, once again, an "adult" president in the mold of an Eisenhower or a Truman. And there is no better evidence than McCain's energy plan, which the candidate has laid out in a very, er, energetic series of appearances and speeches over the last week. "We wanted it to be a grown-up vision," said Mark Salter, McCain's chief speechwriter and alter ego, who in a Newsweek interview reiterated several times that McCain's approach is that of an "adult." This evidence of mature judgment specifically includes McCain's decision to reverse himself—grown-ups adjust, after all, to changed circumstances—by calling for offshore oil drilling.

On the surface, this is John McCain trying to pivot around the issue of age and use it to his benefit. But prick up your ears, "my friends," and it's not hard to hear the dogwhistle.

See...if John McCain is the adult in this frame, then Barack Obama is the child.

More specifically, he's the uppity negro petulant child who doesn't know his place. He's the child who needs to be put in the corner, or at the very least sent to the back of the bus kid's table.

ZOUNDS. Like, put the GLUE GUN down, man.

re: #94 buzzsawmonkey

I do. I just ended up having to file some letters.

Judith's pretty scary.

re: #101 goddessoftheclassroom

(waving hand in the air enthusiastically) I do!

I'll wait till it's out on DVD and get it from NetFlix!

#21

Same letter I got from him except my name isn't James.

re: #106 SasquatchOnSteroids

They have to start making up racism out of whole cloth now.

McCain hasn't cooperated with their pre-set narrative.

re: #95 Miss Trixie

rightymouse

These commissions are like a can of worms and I have no clue where to start looking for the beginning, however, Judith's post#80 is a good start. Why not email Ezra?

My google-fu skills are sadly lacking.

Just saw Judith's post - didn't know that's how they got started. And buzzsaw's #91 post regarding unintended consequences is spot on. Government has no business trying to nannify what people say and how people think.

From Maclean's press release:

Though gratified by the decision, Maclean's continues to assert that no human rights commission, whether at the federal or provincial level, has the mandate or the expertise to monitor, inquire into, or assess the editorial decisions of the nation's media. And we continue to have grave concerns about a system of complaint and adjudication that allows a media outlet to be pursued in multiple jurisdictions on the same complaint, brought by the same complainants, subjecting it to costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars, to say nothing of the inconvenience. We enthusiastically support those parliamentarians who are calling for legislative review of the commissions with regard to speech issues.

But the fight is not over. Several other Conservative Canadian bloggers are already targeted and must be defended to the best of our ability

re: #11 Zach_the_Lizard

4 other bloggers are still on trial

My brother-in-law recently interviewed for a position as a judge for the Ontario Human Rights Commission. He's a liberal union supporter, and they were too left wing for him. I asked him what the interviewer was like, and he said "the complete faceless bureaucrat".

Just a round not a fight. We'll see if the British Columbia HRC will have the same sense of self-preservation. Actually I hope not. We don't want them to survive by stealth. Oh Canada!

re: #47 ladycatnip

My thoughts exactly. These types of "Commissions" will gain traction under an Obama Presidency, for sure. They are as un-American a concept as you can get, but for the Obamaniacs and Mo-bots, they will come naturally.

This is fantastic news. To me it shows you've got to stand firm and defy these guardians of morality like McCleans and Steyn did. Unfortunately, most victims of these commissions don't have the economic means to properly defend themselves, especially since the complainants are helped along and even supported economically by the state.

Nevertheless, the extra scrutiny these fascist commissions in Canada are getting as a result of this case can only help. Hopefully they will keep the heat on these scoundrels because rest assured they won't slink away quietly into their festering holes so easily.

Good to see our neighbors to the north showing common sense.

re: #115 winston06

I had no idea, we never hear anything about it down here.

And I am not that far down (greater Seattle).

The day Canada will have turned this around will be the day these "human rights" commissions are forced to pay back every damn cent of Ezra's legal bills.

re: #21 BignJames

I made a small contribution to Ezra Levants defense fund a while back. He's sent me a very gracious thank-you e-mail...

Dear James,

I know a lot of time has passed since you generously donated to my legal defence fund, but I wanted to take a moment, now that I have a chance to catch my breath, to let you know how grateful I am for your contribution.

I've really been running at full speed for six months -- fending off two human rights commission complaints (one was dropped, but the other continues), and a bunch of nuisance suits from lawyers in the human rights industry. (The fact that we had a little baby right in the middle of everything has been the biggest reason I've been so busy!) I've also tried to fight back hard in the court of public opinion, stirring up opposition to the kind of censorship that has trapped me.

Please forgive me for my delay in writing to you -- I'm sorry.

I don't know if you saw it on my blog, but I attended a few days of Mark Steyn's show trial in Vancouver last month. As you know, he and Maclean's magazine were charged with illegal "discrimination" for publishing an excerpt of his book, "America Alone". It's the same law I've been charged under for publishing the Danish cartoons. I was charged in spring of 2006, but I still haven't had my trial, so it was interesting to see what Mark's looked like.

Frankly, it was an embarrassment. I cringed, not only as a lawyer, but as a citizen. I couldn't believe the kangaroo court antics of the prosecution. They really brought our legal system into disrepute. The tribunal actually spent an hour arguing over whether or not a particular joke made by Mark Steyn was funny. As the Vancouver Sun wrote, the human rights tribunal "murdered their own reputation". That's true. But they don't care. As long as they have the power to censor political ideas they disagree with, they'll keep doing it. I was so proud of Maclean's for fighting back. I promise to, as well.

Because it's not just about my case, or Mark Steyn's. It's about weeding out these un-Canadian laws altogether, and protecting freedom of speech.

Your contribution has been essential to me. Maclean's magazine is part of a large company that was able to send in Canada's best lawyers to fight on Mark Steyn's behalf. But without your donation, I'm afraid I would have been crushed under the legal onslaught a long time ago. Between the human rights complaints and the nuisance suits, I'm receiving bills of $5,000 to $10,000 a month from my lawyers. The human rights commission is clearly trying to break me -- I have received several "plea bargain" offers, where if I just "admit" that I'm wrong, and pay a fine, it will all go away. That would certainly be cheaper and quicker. But there is no way I could live with myself if I did that. If anything, that would only embolden them.

My goal is simple: I want to stop these commissions dead in their tracks.

Thanks for letting me give you an update. And, once again, please accept my sincere apologies for being delinquent in sending you a thank-you note. I have been meaning to do so for a while, and I'm sorry I left the impression that I took your support for granted.

Yours gratefully,

Ezra Levant

P.S. I promise I'll keep fighting as hard and as smart as I can.

I am glad that this HRC dropped this case.

I was appointed as a commissioner for Human Rights Commission for two terms in my community and we had a distinct limitation on what we could do and not do.

When will the BC hrc drop its case?
It also knows it has to either ''win'' and go to the supreme court in Canada or have its first loss/
A matter of time, I'm sure.

re: #80 Judith

The HRC was founded in response to vicious antiSemitic and Holocaust denial activities going on in the 1970s. It was an attempt to silence the very people now going after Steyn, i.e. "The Jews Are Responsible for Evil" folks. It was strongly endorsed, supported and partially written by the Jewish the community.

Okay, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Restrictions on free speech always backfire.
The solution for "hate speech" is more speech, that shows the errors.

Hooray! As a Canadian, this is really good news. Interesting... I have searched fruitlessly through the CBC web site (the Canadian Gubbermint Media site) and haven't found a thing about this story.

It's just the Canadian Mutaween doing their duty!
/

re: #80 Judith

The HRC was founded in response to vicious antiSemitic and Holocaust
denial activities going on in the 1970s. It was an attempt to silence
the very people now going after Steyn, i.e. "The Jews Are Responsible
for Evil" folks. It was strongly endorsed, supported and partially
written by the Jewish the community.

Okay, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Oh sure, blame the Joos for everything.
/

re: #126 Rkrocket

Hooray! As a Canadian, this is really good news. Interesting... I have searched fruitlessly through the CBC web site (the Canadian Gubbermint Media site) and haven't found a thing about this story.

Unfortunately, some Canadians don't have the same commitment to "free speech" as do those who, for example, frequent LGF.

Our American friends and those around the world and this blog, LGF, Mr. Johnson, all the commenters here and on many other blogs south of the border deserve a big "thank you" from Canadians in keeping this issue in the forefront, keeping the pressure on and yes even 'ridiculing' Canada for this anti-democratic, anti-free travesty. But we realize the work is not yet over, there are miles, many miles to go.

This Canuck thanks you all!

It just goes to show you that, in countries like Canada and the US, if you bring dark, petty processes like this into the light of day they will usually shrivel up and die. Of course, they're not dead dead by any means, but they got a bloody nose. Unfortunately, they'll be more wily now.

Sad thing is, court like this (can you say "sharia"?) are openly flaunted in many countries and their rulings cheered.

Why am I thinking Phyric victory?

As with vampires and wooden stakes, until and unless Sec 13.l is repealed and the entire HRC structure is dumped into the ashcan of history, none of us who believe in free speech as THE guiding principle of modern democracy is safe.

Yesterday, the National Post reported that the BC Human "Rights" tribunal is taking on a stand-up comic. A heckler didn't like the guy's routine, but then the comic said some rude things about her heckling (she didn't like it and decided to take it up with the BC HRC). And now they're hearing the case. So the HRC's have by no means been "silenced" nor are they "out of business." They're carrying on as per usual. And, in today's National Post there is a report about a former MP (Member of Parliament) who faces Canada's Federal Human "Rights" Commission for having distributed allegedly racist pamphlets. (The politician had hoped that the Supreme Court of Canada would hear his case -- the Supreme Court threw it out, and wouldn't hear his case -- so now he's going to a Tribunal). So long as these Tribunals -- Kangaroo Courts -- exist, there is effectively no Free Speech in Canada.

First it was Heller, now this. It's been a good week for freedom.

re: #83 realwest

Yes there is a Federal NRC and each province has a HRC.

And I was concerned when this legislation was enacted. If I recall correctly it happened during the Trudeau area and was formulated to protect mainly Jews but also blacks from what was then called "free speech gone wild" in the USA.

There was a teacher actually teaching holocaust denial in a school in Alberta and teaching students to hate Jews and there was no way to stop him or to prevent anyone else from starting up with him and things were even more ;liberal and wild than in the USA and the baddies in the USA were taking advantage of the legal vacuum up here to do dirty work down there, so part of the pressure was from the USA.

The idea of commissions was to prevent it from being controlled and taken over by anyone group so that no HRC could ever be hijacked because there would always be broad enough representation to prevent anything but a good consensus of Canadian values.

The problme has been the slow hijacking from the interior, loading the choice of new appointees and so forth.

But when some government organization begins attacking the politicians who keep it going it is soon changed.

And again I personally did not agree with this. I was in favor of a system similar to the USA where one could sue the pants off the bad guys. But then our legal system is different so that would meant have mean only the right could sue and the little people could not. Now that it is has been hijacked by the far left, the opposite has happened.

re: #132 colin nelson

Why am I thinking Phyric victory?

As with vampires and wooden stakes, until and unless Sec 13.l is repealed and the entire HRC structure is dumped into the ashcan of history, none of us who believe in free speech as THE guiding principle of modern democracy is safe.

Exactly. Canadians can be damned sure that the HRC views dropping this case like Hamas views a cease-fire. The public ass-kicking stops, and they have time to lick their wounds, re-arm and re-group to attack a softer target next week.

This fight is far from over. These commissions and commissioners are going to continue to pick away at our rights by going after those that can't afford a ten thousand dollar retainer for a lawyer to defend themselves, against a process that takes years!
Prime Minister Harper and the rest of Parliament have to get it together, understand we will not stand by and watch our freedom of thought and speech to be chipped away any longer and: FIRE. THEM. ALL.

re: #135 judith

The Holocaust denier, teaching in Alberta (that was Jim Keegstra), was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada. This was not a Human Rights Commission case. Keegstra violated (or was charged with violating) Canada's anti-hate speech laws under the Criminal Code (thus he went before a real court, had a real trial -- not a Kangaroo court like the HRCs). (Keegstra appealed to the Supreme Court and lost).

Now is the time for Steyn and Maclean's to file a grievance with the HRC ...against the HRC!

Pummel those totalitarian bas-tids.

They probably will again. I suspect that wanted to wear Mark down. Watch: BHO will institute speech codes if he is elected.re: #11 Zach_the_Lizard

re: #119 Pygmalienation
And George Soros will fund them.

Dracula has not been slain, but he did get a good kick in the ass.

Did anyone read about : Guy Earle, a Toronto comedian, must now stand trial before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal on the charge of telling unfunny jokes.

Fine. One high profile but ultimately meaningless success. In the meantime ACLU is branching out into the red states. Any outrage from the right is smothered by the MSM.

re: #142 Eagle

And there's yet another case (a former MP would handed out pamphlets) will have to face a Human Rights Commission (the politician was opposed to having racial quotas used, whenever the government hires someone -- but, i guess, saying that racial quotas shouldn't be used is now deemed "racist.").

In the book "Genius of America" the authors wrote that America's Founding Fathers knew that any political body (regardless of what) would seek to expand its powers. It's in the very nature of politics. But the Founding Fathers also realized that the only way to curb the expansionary grab for power was through checks and balances (thus dividing the executive branch from the legislative branch from the judicial branch, and each branch keeping a wary eye out for the other -- thus curbing abuses.) In Canada I don't see anyone able to curb the HRCs. Which branch of Canadian government can put a curb on these bureaucratic nightmares? The Alberta HRC is "accountable" to the Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit...yeah, like that would be the Ministry willing or able to curb an HRC...I don't think so...

re: #144 J.S.

Which branch of Canadian government can put a curb on these bureaucratic nightmares?

Parliament, which I guess is the Canadian equivalent of house of rep, the senate, and the white house all rolled up into one tasty backbacon sandwich.

Ezra and others (IIRC), want to have that section of the Canadian Human Rights Act repealed, crossed, out, thrown in the trash. A Liberal (good for him), has introduced a bill to do so. That would prevent future kangaroo courts based on that alone. Still, one has to wonder when the CHRC will charge people "cause I felt like it".

Also, btw, the fellow who alleged that Free Speech is an American concept -- and is alien to Canadians...Actually, I have to agree (at least to some extent.) I recall, for example, in Saskatchewan there was a film censorship board (this censorship board was put out commission only -- relatively speaking -- recently. The Official Censor's job was to watch porno flicks all day long and cut out the naughty bits or outright ban the film...) And, in Alberta there was a Catholic Women's League, along with others, who were part of a government body with the task of censoring print materials...that was back in the 1950s. (history article on censorship here). Ironically, it was the Civil Liberties associations in Canada which were fighting for free speech and against censorship...(how ironic that the Canadian Civil Liberties Association advocated for the establishment of HRCs...).

That’s the first smart thing they’ve done; because the sooner they can get the public scrutiny to go away, the sooner they can go about prosecuting persecuting their less well-heeled targets, people who can’t afford Canada’s best lawyers and command the attention and affection of the country’s literati.

Fixed that for ya.

re: #145 Eagle

They say that (if there's an election) that Bill to get rid of that controversial section of the Human Rights Act will die...(Frankly, I'd like to see the whole thing scrapped...get rid of HRCs entirely). (I also wonder when political speech will be deemed "offensive" by some bureaucrats...when will they start the rounding-up of the Officially Offensive Political Speakers? Canada will soon start looking like Zimbabwe.)

It's a good day for free speech in Canada today.

As Ezra has so aptly put it: FIRE. THEM. ALL.

re: #21 BignJames

He's a class act. I also got a personal note to thank me for my contribution. It was very nice and I plan to hit his tip jar again when I can.

Based on John Adams thoughts during the debate of the Declaration of Independence, If the Continental Congress would have ratified a few months earlier then Canada could have ended up a US Colony but the battles ended badly just before ratification due to lack commitment from the Colonies in backing the revolt. Based on what I see here it's a shame because all I can see is that we have a European state above us.

re: #39 Dianna

Yes, but who's Grendel's mom?

Moriantin Morincumer?

8P

JAFLW

/Oh, wait, wrong sex. Nevermind...

re: #148 J.S.

I agree. The Human Rights Comissions should be defunded. The offices should be bronzed, and act as a monument to the complacency of Canadians.

It amazes me that leftwingers raise holy hell when they find out the FBI is wiretapping the phones of suspected jihadis. But not a whisper when Canadians are being charged for thought crime.

I can cut the hypocrisy with a knife, and it dont taste good.

re: #121 psyop

4 conservative Canadians are on trial: Ezra Levant, Kathy Shaidle, Kate of small dead animals' blog and 'Free Dominion forum' owners.

re: #137 Wilderstad

I agree

re: #130 Sounder

Indeed

That’s the first smart thing they’ve done; because the sooner they can get the public scrutiny to go away, the sooner they can go about prosecuting their less well-heeled targets, people who can’t afford Canada’s best lawyers and command the attention and affection of the country’s literati.

Then those who can do it need to keep the spotlight on these cases.

Loss of our freedoms occurs in slow and incremental steps - just as the implementation of special "smoking sections" on airplanes 30 years ago has become no smoking anywhere, not even in a person's own home in some places, the Canadian speech police will eventually, slowly and incrementally, eat away at free speech rights unless they are stopped.

The best news for free speech in Canada is today's Supreme Court's decision in a libel case against a talk-show host:

The traditional elements of the tort of defamation may require modification to provide broader accommodation to the value of freedom of expression. ....

We live in a free country where people have as much right to express outrageous and ridiculous opinions as moderate ones. ....

Of course, the law must accommodate commentators such as the satirist or the cartoonist who seizes on a point of view, which may be quite peripheral to the public debate, and blows it into an outlandish caricature for public edification or merriment.

Their function is not so much to advance public debate as it is to exercise a democratic right to poke fun at those who huff and puff in the public arena. ...

Public controversy can be a rough trade, and the law needs to accommodate its requirements.

steyn was having a field day w/ these dullards.
he will continue to "offend" and they will pretend they are above going after him again. in truth they are afraid of him.
these hrc vultures have suffered a set back. they are a joke. their next victim needs to provoke them more and keep the publicity going.

the CHRC Poem

Hm! Steyn is made of harder stuff! Cardinal Fang! Fetch...THE COMFY CHAIR!

I guess that didn't work...

Canada lost it a long time ago.. true story.. My uncle in Canada owned a small business. His secretary got pregnant.. she left work .. and receives full pay from my uncle.. Canadian law.. he hires a temp sub to work.. she gets pregnant.. also entitled to full pay.. thats 2 full pay.. Uncle tried a different approach.. hires a older un married woman.. thinks there thats ended.. jobs must be a aphrodisiac in Canada.. she gets pregnant.. no husband.. just with child.. thats 3 full time pay for no work. hires a gay man.. never gets pregnant but is dieing from aids so half or more time is off for medical leave.. the original secretary has child and is expected to come back to work.. decides not to work.. one paycheck now ended 3 still ongoing.. the second sub also decides not to return to work.. 2 checks now ended.. the gay man dies of aids.. uncle decides not to hire another sub.. does the work himself.. the 3rd sub comes back to work for 6 weeks.. finds a husband.. takes extended vacation in Europe.. paid of course.. returns and quits work. My Uncle sold his business to a company in Houston Texas.

/OH CANADA

The CHRC is not the only entity in Canada working to crush PC violators. I recently crossed the border and had my vehicle ransacked. Were they searching for drugs...weapons...alcohol...cigarettes? NO! They were after smuggled copies of Steyn's 'America Alone.' Thank God I had already finished reading my copy and had loaned it to Canadian friend. If the book had been found, I could have been the next proud Islamophobe to be prosecuted by the Eh'Nazis. I thought I had been caught in a timewarp and landed in 1930's Germany.

We should thank Canada's 'human rights' fascists for warning us what America's P.C. police have planned for the U.S. after Obama is elected and stacks the Supreme Court full of Libs like stephen breyer and ruth bader ginsburg.

#21, BignJames:

I made a small contribution to Ezra Levants defense fund a while back. He's sent me a very gracious thank-you e-mail...

I got the same email recently. As you said, very gracious, and it made me all the happier that I sent him some funds to help with his legal battle.

#163, Frostbitten:

They were after smuggled copies of Steyn's 'America Alone.'

O_o What border crossing did you go through? If they're looking for that book to seize, they're stark-raving mad.

"America Alone" is available at Amazon.ca in paperback (in stock) for a little under fourteen dollars.

Amazon.com has the exact same book, same ISBN and ISBN-13 numbers, so it's not like Canada has a different version.

They made a strategic mistake in going after Maclean's magazine and Mark Steyn. Here were defendants who would not roll over, wanted the HRC's decision against them, and further, wanted to appeal the decision in a real court of law, where actual rules apply, and kangaroos aren't plentiful. This would set a precedent the HRCs could not ignore. These defendants had the financial and legal resources to accomplish that goal.

Unfortunately, the commission backed off and decided not to pursue this further. I think they realized that public awareness of their dirty little star chambers was growing, that Parliament is getting interested, and that any further backlash would stand a pretty good chance of getting section 13.1 or perhaps all of section 13 removed from the Canadian Human Rights Act. (Link: Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act)

So we know the commissions aren't utterly crazy, as they have some self-preservation instincts present; they're just power hungry, and malicious.

These provincially based HRCs in Canada are still happily going after what they consider "easy targets", as is evidenced by these two articles at Ezra Levant's site:

Did you hear the one about the Joke Police?

NOW Magazine editor: only lesbians can make jokes about lesbians

I predict this is the beginning of the end of the Mark Steyn witch hunt. This is folding like a house of cards.

Freedom is still in great peril in Canada.

They are leaving the big dogs alone, but that doesn't mean they won't go against the small fry.

Unless you're famous, you have no right to free speech in Canada.

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