I know that if someone started screaming about how are stealing our jobs, revelling in violence, unsanitary, dangerous, and possibly contagious, I’d far rather there be an HRC in place so that the situation could avoid the courts and expensive lawyers to get it stopped.

Now, there are some concerning things here about truth and public interest not being valid defenses but that’s a problem with the law and needs to be addressed by the government, not by vilifying the people working on the tribunals or the entire process.

We in the west are particularly aware of the oppression of speech. Have any of you checked the channel line up lately in Alberta? Are you aware of the grey market satelite squash? Did you know that Sheila Copps took the American invented version of Time, Macleans, Reader’s Digest, and many others and ruled there be a “Canadian” versions of these publications. What about the new satelite radio? Oh yes, Canada had to have its own version of Sirius and XM too. This intellectual property was stolen by Canadians in the first place from America.

Coercive monopolies run Canada’s media and are controlled by Eastern Canada. Calgary is a prime example. It used to have its own local TV stations and radio but the content has changed to anti-west and antii-American since these govt controlled monopolies took hold.

All you have to do is watch the weather channel for 10 minutes and I guarantee you will see the weather reporter standing right in front of Alberta for most of the show.

If Mark Steyn loses this hearing I believe it will pave the way to destroy our last vestage of free speech in Canada…the internet.

Gail Parker

I apologize if was considered offensive (I didn’t think it was so) but will keep that in mind going forward.

“This is not a court.
This is not a trial.
Those being brought before it owe it nothing and should accept nothing it says or does.

Truth journalism always attracts rational intelligence. Lets give some credit to these bloggers.

Gail Parker

I am very afraid that what I see is that Canada is slowly (or maybe not so slowly) becoming something very different from the country that my family has served.

I will always be proud of the country that Canada used to be.

Now go out and buy an air card, slip it into the PCMCIA slot on your computer and connect your computer telephonically to the www. OK, just wanted to use the word telephonically in a sentence. Keep up the good work!

I sincerely hope Macleans LOSES, so they can appeal this to a court that has jurisdiction to throw this entire HRC racket into the junk-bin of history. Disgusting.

Might be a good wait for that, my friends. But it’s your site. Please exercise your rights as private citizens, but IMHO it’s a necessary predicate for people committed to free speech to tolerate a few sharp words and I do believe Steyn has been known to hone far sharper edges than I could bring to bear.

Sleep tight, Canada. A lot of us are keeping you in our prayers.

Two things to bear in mind:

1. We’re applying a very strict threshold for possibly defamatory statements against just about anyone or anything.
2. If a comment is reasonably civil and has something remotely to do with the topic at hand, or free speech in Canada in general, it’s fine. Comments designed mainly to provoke a reaction from another commenter aren’t. Nor are the comments provoked by such comments.

For heaven’s sake Pompous, don’t you see what is so plainly before your face? It’ all about you being able to decide whether there’s a difference. The HR industry is attempting to deprive you of that right.

THEY will determine for you whether there’s a difference by controlling what you may hear or see. That’s the danger, plain and simple.

The story in cbc didnt get any. Well I posted one.

I read the blog, soooooooooo how do you stay awake, or keep from laughing out loud?

At least until the injunction comes down…

I’ll leave it to others to decide whether there’s difference there.

Sadly, you are probably well advised to do just that.

How so? Steyn’s book (published by Regnery, no less) is widely available in Canada.

So I get to hear and watch the dirty stuff *and* read Steyn’s work. I’ll leave it to others to decide whether there’s difference there.

Gail Parker

“*I* have freedom of expression, which is broader than the freedom under the American legal order… I can hear swear words…see a nipple flash The only right I appear to be losing is the right to be exposed to hatred, vilification and defamation; if need to be ”

It maks one despair for this country when a fellow citizen trades the ‘right’ to a peek or to hear or use a crass word trumps his right to express a belief or opinion.

Amazingly, they really don’t understand that they are losing the same priceless virtue as those with whom they disagree. As long as someone else’s ox is bing gored….

Conservative supporters, why don’t you lobby your party? Oh wait, I forgot… Stephen Harper has abandoned many of his previous beliefs. Onward freedom fighters! Me, I’m going to watch dogs chase balls into the ocean.

And I just know the subtext of this comment.

Of course you do, sweetie. Otherwise you might have to face plain words plainly.

What don’t you read the complaint? Or is some lack of freeness stopping you from doing that?

Well, accuracy and truth are defenses in cases like this.

And I just know the subtext of this comment. “I’m not a racist or a bigot; those people really are like that!”

Feh. Heard it.

Somwetimes you can offend groups by saying accurate and truthful things about them.

Would you ban that too?

And what in the Maclean’s article is defamatory?

“If a bureaucrat can determine what you are allowed to say in public, you are effectively silenced from expressing an unpopular or offensive idea.”

Now wake up Canada! Don’t be so defensive ! Face up to the truth ! Canada does not have a First Amendment – an enshrined right to Free Speech !

Gail Parker