Free Speech Under Attack In Canada

Canada and the United States share more than a border. There is a kinship and lineage that dates back to when Western Europeans were settling North America. In fact some of my relatives made their way from Scotland to Nova Scotia, and eventually to the United States. The area in which I live in now, Rochester, New Hampshire has a rich French-Canadian history. But for all of our similarities, there are times when our distinct differences are obvious. Point in case, Mark Steyn

For those that do not know Mark Steyn, he is an extraordinary author, whose honest writings are as witty as they are insightful. But more importantly Mr. Steyn is a true Conservative, and that seems to bother some people.

Mr. Steyn has found himself in a bit of “legal” problem in Canada for an article that he wrote for MacLean’s magazine (which was an extract from Mark Steyn’s brilliant book “America Alone”). Mr. Steyn is unapologetic of his observations of radical Islam, nor should he be, because every word written in the original article (as well as his other pieces) is true. But as with the United States, there are those on the Left that would prefer to silence the voices of reason instead of confronting the truth of the words. Mark Steyn is their latest target.

The Canadian Islamic Council filed a grievance with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The Tribunal a three-person committee comprised of lawyers. The Canadian Islamic Council received support from Canadian Arab Federation, the Canadian Civil Liberties Associations, and the Canadian Association of Journalists. Progressive groups have used the Tribunal to try and silence all manner of free speech merely on the grounds that they disagree with it. For you see, the Left often feels that if they strongly disagree with another person’s opinion, it must be offensive, and that in itself merits censorship. But of course that same principal cannot be directed at those on the Left.

It is hard to believe that a country that would allow the release of a movie about the assassination of President Bush would have a problem with any speech. But hypocrisy is a trademark characteristic of those on the Left.

It will be interesting to see how this all turns out. The only thing at stake is the exchange of honest ideas, which doesn't seem to fit into this Politically Correct world that we have allowed ourselves to be painted into.

Good Luck Mark, and (dare I say it) God Bless!