… out from under the bed;
Thanks to everyone who’s written letters to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal requesting that the March 25th hearing into the activities of the CHRC’s “human rights investigators” not be held in camera – ie, in secret. On Monday, counsel will file a motion requiring that Charlie Gillis, yours truly and other Maclean’s staff be admitted to cover the proceedings on the grounds that the Canadian Human Rights Commission and Tribunal are subject to the same rules of openness as any other Canadian court.
This gets to the heart of the issue: Is the secretive, self-protective “human rights” apparatus part of the Canadian legal system and its Common Law inheritance? Or is it, in fact, above the law, and a law unto itself?
More.
This expose of the HRC’s is taking on a life of its own. Not a day goes by that another feather isn’t being plucked from it. Looks like it is going to be gutted right before our very eyes.
The amazing thing is….’we’ got the ball rolling on this. The blogosphere picked this story up like crazy, and never let go, mostly thanks to the efforts and unwavering courage of men Like Steyn, Levant et al.
We are indeed lucky that the foes of free speech decided to attack those who defend it as a matter of life and death – publishers.
This institution of truly Orwellian proportions is about to come to a crashing end. Götterdämmerung, baby!
Lucy, you got some ‘splanin’ to do!
I for one Emailed in for this and I am very happy it’s happening.
This is one goose whose guts are going to stink to high heaven.
I shall hold my nose and enjoy.
The HRC is taking some well deserved heat. They know that people are getting very concerned and edgy about a quasi-judicial tribunal that acts in secrecy with plenty of deception, supressing rights of free speech in the veil of protecting human rights. It will be very interesting to hear the reports coming out of that inquiry.
I am eagerly awaiting the news if the motion was granted. I would be even more curious to hear the defence as to why it shouldn’t be granted and what incredulity (one hopes) that the real judge will display.
Nothing like a well worded court opinion to really put someone down.
Now you know why Warren distanced himself from these suits. He knew that they were on weak ground and it would allow a full scale questioning of the process and the individuals. The left has used strategic lawsuits in the past to get issues before the Supreme Court…..nice to see it work in reverse, although I think this is more an issue of “A bridge Too Far” for the left.
Look forward to the news.
Actually I’m kinda hoping the kangaroos on the tribunal will rule to hold their little trial in secret.
That way we can make the members of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (in)famous, starting with this J. Grant Sinclair character.
Careful. A MOTION for openness is being filed. That doesn’t mean that the Motion has been accepted.
Quite a few of us wrote in, and the HRC knows that its every breath is being watched very carefully.
And that the watchers are no longer, as in the old days, silenced because they were not owners of newspapers or subsidized pundits. The watchers now have the entire internet to voice their opinions – and the internet has far more ears and eyes than any newspaper/TV show.
So, step by step, we will hopefully expose and take down this Orwellian Big Brother.
Who is the motions judge, and by whom was he or she appointed? Don’t count your chickens, kids.
My only happiness in this whole sordid affair is the thought that those democracy-smashing tyrants are feeling the heat and likely in total panic mode.
I like to think that they believe their world is coming to an end. I’d also like to think that it is.
Like a cockroach under a rock, they fear the light.
There can be zero doubt.
The CHRC absolutely must be open to the public and to the media. No case can be made otherwise.
After all, we’re not talking about a matter of national security here.
There is no debate to be had, none. The hearings… all of them, in fact, without exception, must be open to the public and the media.
Anyone who tries to argue otherwise is a liberal fascist who wants to take rights away from people who express inconvenient viewpoints. If they hate freedom and equality, they can move to Iran or Red China or Cuba or any one of those wonderful progressive paradises.
I’m still wondering where the March 25 HRC hearing is taking place, Warman vs Lemire.
‘Anyone know? I’ve got the day off…
I think this is an idea whose time is coming fast.
“Perhaps an international Committee For the Defense of Free Speech needs to be formed. Its purpose would be to explain the extent of free speech, and those limits on it that are proper, and those that are not. ”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/020310.php#more
Our hearing to have the NISA action certified was also held in camera. No witnesses to the crown having to contradict the argument the crown made in the Mini G cases that a contract existed between the crown and NISA participants (farmers) as submitted by the crown. The crown would have to argue the opposite that there was no contract between the crown and the farmers. A crown thank you to the F.C. judge. The criminal code speaks to similar issues.
flay these commie bastards to the bone.
Related: Michael Ross’ article in NP:
“Human rights make for strange bedfellows”
Michael Ross, National Post Published: Monday, March 17, 2008
In Israel, Jews who emigrate from other countries are regarded with a degree of disdain by the nation’s native-born establishment. The attitude is rooted in envy: Jews growing up in Israel have to endure such hardships as mandatory military service, while their Diaspora counterparts enjoy a life free of Hamas missiles and suicide bombers. Unlike Israelis, Jews living in such safe countries as Canada have the luxury of concerning themselves with negligible problems like neo-Nazi material on the Internet.
This perception recently has been reinforced, in my mind at least, by the Canadian Jewish Congress’ attempts to justify the censorship powers of our human rights commissions. Only by suppressing freedom of speech, CJC officials have argued in the National Post’s pages and elsewhere, can Jews and other minority groups be protected from the isolated eccentrics who prowl the web.
Within the Mossad, Israel’s secret intelligence service, there is a small department of intelligence analysts who monitor and report on incidents and trends relating to anti-Semitism and violence perpetrated against Jewish communities worldwide. During my 13 years with the Mossad, I was privy to the reports of this department. They invariably concluded that modern anti-Semitism has very little to do with the reawakening of National Socialism, and everything to do with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Western countries — with occasional collusion from elements of the radical left, not the radical right.
During my career overseas with the Mossad, the only blatant example of anti-Semitism I personally encountered was while sitting across from a Syrian gentleman — not aware that I was Jewish — who launched without provocation into a 20-minute diatribe about how Jews (not Israelis) were responsible for every horror in world history since the Hebrews first appeared in the desert some five millennia ago. This gentleman recited his litany of lies as if it had been taught to him word-for-word in a classroom — which of course it was.
————–
Truth.
If it is proven that the hrc tribunals are bias and corrupt, would they be made to look at all cases that have came before it over the years?
It really doesn’t look like free thinking Canadians are going to get any help from the msm, in pursuing the dismantling of the hrcs. I think Lori is on the right track by suggesting someone sit up a committee to go before the government with our concerns.
Talking about liberal fascist….I was just over on Kinswilsuya site, and know he has something he doesn’t want coming out.
“Mark Steyn and Maclean’s magazine are going to court, today, to join forces with Heritage Front supremo Marc Lemire in attacking the “secrecy” of the Canadian human rights process” -the liberal fascist site.
Apparently the liberal fascist don’t see a damn thing wrong with holding secret trials in Canada, with anonymous persons adjudicating them.
Pathetic, sons-of-bitches that they are, who would have thought they would relinguish any integrity they may have possessed, to sell out fellow Canadians.
Warren knows that there are problems and wants to get through this rough patch without fuelling the fire to change the legislation.
Warren would prefer to leave the legislation as is and move back to a more responsible use of its provisions. You open it up and the pendulum will swing hard against it. Warren is just doing his job.
As for the tactics….kind of hysterical if you ask me. Pulling a posting of hyperventialting commentator is hardly a direct threat. And the guilt by association is wearing kind of thin, I cant imagine Macleans or the NatPost is happy that the case is about an alleged Neo Nazi/White Supremicist…unfortunate fellow travellers.
I am sure there are fellow travellers Warren isnt happy with, but he doesnt talk about them, I am thinking of a couple of idiots at the Liberal leadership convention. Nary a peep from the great anti semite fighter….problem with being holier than thou is you need to be consistent….not his strong suit. Now if it were a conservative convention, he would still be dining out on it…..but hey thats politics
Willowdale:
“According to the 2001 census, the immigrant population is more than 56 per cent with 27 per cent giving Chinese as their ethnic origin. There are large Jewish, Korean and Iranian communities. The average family income is $81,664 and unemployment is 6.8 per cent.”
Van Quadra:
“The 2001 census found 36 per cent of the people in this riding were immigrants, with Chinese-Canadians forming the largest community.
This is predominantly a residential riding, though the University of British Columbia is located here. A remarkable 38.5 per cent of residents hold a university degree – the second-highest proportion of graduates in any riding in the country. This is also Canada’s sixth-wealthiest riding, with average family incomes of $112,155. The average home here costs a staggering $552,781. Unemployment was 6.3 per cent in 2001.”
http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/riding/302/
These are the types of ridings Harper needs to win in order to get a majority. And they are both overwhelmingly Liberal.
Again, can someone please tell me where the HRC hearing is on March 25th.
Muchas gracias!
batb…
the hearings are in ottawa. don’t know the exact address though.
March 25, 2008
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
160 Elgin Street,
11th Floor
Ottawa , Ontario
Thanks Connie,
Do you know what time?
When will we know if the general public can attend or just Maclean’s reporters.
I’m thinking it is at 9am. I’ll find out for sure, though.
I don’t know if they will make a decision about opening it to the public before that day or not. We are just going to go and hope for the best. If they don’t let us in, we’ll stand outside and look glum. 🙂
Thanks, Spike and Connie.
Sorry I won’t be there. I live too far away. But I’ll be thinking of all of you–and watching the MSM for news of great import. 😉
While we are on the subject of this great liberal institution. I haven’t heard much on the news about the complaint against Sowahardy and the subsequent “alleged” intimidation tactics. are the complaintants still going forward? Is there a way to monitor the progress of the complaint? I would think that it would take a very strong constitution to go ahead with this action while you and your family are being threatened.
The hearings start at 9:30am.
Speaking hypothetically, it is events like this hearing that sometimes provide openings for suitably informed, articulate, and ethically disciplined people to book time off their mundane lives and engage, as truly responsible citizens, in a little protest, or maybe even a small act of civil disobedience.
I wouldn’t suggest civil disobedience to anyone with a case before the HRC, but to people who are as yet free agents, as it were, one needs to ask if civil disobedience – for all its failed and unjustified invoking in past – can ever be justified. Can we deny society a possible form of public revelation that has, historically, had liberating consequences and brought real progress in real human rights?
Yes, as with all civil disobedience one risks being denounced, or sanctioned, for breaking some law, but this is just what makes civil disobedience justifiable and politically effective: one is willing to take personal responsibility and accountability for breaking the law, non-violently, on the claim you are doing so in order to bring to light a great injustice that the law (which you normally, sincerely, respect, as is clear to those who know you), in its present form and action, is blind to while presently trampling someone under its foot. You put your claim in the court of public opinion and hope people will take your side.
If done right – and this is not something for hot heads – with truly informed intelligence and good faith, more and more people will have to take notice and do some thinking to know if the law is, in this case, on the side of right.
If I could afford to fly in from Vancouver and organize with others, I would have to consider carefully whether the HRT’s justification for a closed-door hearing (on the issue at stake) can in any way be justified. It’s a tough call, especially since one must be pragmatic about public opinion and the ease with which one is smeared with the nazi or wingnut association and the fears it engenders…
Today, pretty much everyone thinks the American civil rights movement was justified. But how many Americans would have justified its civil disobedience before the fact, before the revelation that disobedience from people of good faith brought before the public eye? People of good faith who would risk their freedom for others cannot be fools blinded by a desire for martyrdom. We must study history; but it cannot tell us when to act… one is either ready, or one is not.
Any update on whether it will be open to the public? I would like to attend.