It was a great day for freedom last week when local MP Brian Storseth brought forward a private member's bill in Ottawa to repeal section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
The section has a long and sour history of targeting people for expressing their natural right to express themselves freely, and repealing it can't come fast enough.
Repealing section 13 is a good start to what is likely to be a long process. While it strikes down one of the worst sections of the federal legislation, it will do nothing to affect the commissions in every province.
Crimes should be heard in courts. If a complaint for which the penalty would carry legal sanctions is required for an offence, it should be trialed under the criminal code. If no crime has been committed, there should be no costly commission needed to determine that.
The intent of the section was to target "hate speech." Unfortunately some rogue employees of the commission took it as their duty to bait people online by writing racist remarks themselves, thus giving themselves more work to do by filing section 13 complaints. The whole human rights apparatus has been tainted and it would be well advised to consider tossing out the whole carcass.
A review of the human rights commissions is in order, and if determined desirable, commissions should be abolished.
That numerous cases have been used to target journalists shows how free speech can never be taken for granted and must be fought for.
That frivolous cases continue to be brought against employers under provincial commissions is a concern for all Canadians. Maintaining real courts and the judicial system instead of the quasi-judiciary of commissioners, playing politics but pretending to be neutral arbitrators, is the solution.
But merely getting rid of the commissions and their bureaucratic underbellies may not be enough. A review of all cases and outcomes to determine whether unfairly sanctioned individuals are due compensation may be necessary to correct the wrongs done over the last decades of suppressing freedom of expression.
