Blue Like You

Our precious freedoms in jeopardy

I really hope that the various political parties will soon start addressing some of the issues on my election wish list, and get away from the pathetic display of mud-slinging, which MSM seems only too happy to regurgitate in our morning papers and newscasts (Springer has a link to a great column by Coyne on the latter).

O.k.  I admit the topic of the economy has been discussed, with certain leaders seemingly of the mind that throwing buckets of non-existent money is the solution to all our problems…

However, how about the issue of Human ‘Rights’ Commissions in Canada, and what many Canadians perceive to be a frightening encroachment of our basic freedoms?

I’m not just referring to Freedom of Speech and of the press, which has been well-publicized (thanks to Ezra Levant , David Warren and others), and is proving to be a difficult and delicate balance between hate speech and freedom to express oneself -especially with the internet.

Father Raymond J. De Souza had an excellent column in the Sept. 19 National Post, in which he likened the actions of the various human rights gulags to a "cancer" - (Human Rights’ vs. Basic Freedoms) :

A timely intervention has prevented the cancer from metastasizing, but aggressive treatment is still needed.

The diagnosis is by now well known: From their privileged place within the body politic, Canada’s various human rights commissions have gone from legitimately fighting discrimination to attacking Canadian liberties.

There was a real danger of metastasis, as the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) attempted to spread its corruption to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). The timely intervention came from the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and other public voices. The patient, though — the Canadian public–is still infected with human rights commissions that are compromising our most fundamental liberties, including freedom of conscience, of religion, of speech and of the press…

Please read the whole thing and become informed and aware of how our precious freedoms are in danger of being stealthily eroded.

We narrowly dodged the bullet this time. But as Father De Souza says:

…Professional groups such as the OMA — those representing writers and clergy, for example — have been sounding the alarm on the human rights commissions for some time now. There needs to be a corresponding sense of urgency from Canadian governments, whose statutes sustain human rights commissions. Provincial ministers of justice have been largely silent. The federal minister of justice, Robert Nicholson, a good man who surely knows better, has been disconcertingly reserved in regard to the abuses taking place on his watch. The federal government’s irresponsibly lackadaisical approach sends signals to otherwise respectable bodies, like the CPSO, that the OHRC and similar bodies are not to be challenged.

That needs to change–otherwise we shall eventually be whistling past the graveyard of Canadian liberty.

Wake up, Canada!  Which of our freedoms will they be going after next?

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Update: The National Post seems to be agreeing with me that we need to get beyond the gaffe alerts - Election Immaturity.