HRCs an international embarrassment for Canada

This is a fascinating story in the National Post, written by Kevin Libin. It details a move within an American association of professors to move their annual convention to a city other than Toronto, for the sole reason that Canada's human rights commissions are incompatible with the freedom of expression necessary for academic discussions.

It's unclear whether or not this movement will succeed in moving the conference; a conference of that size is not easily cancelled and rescheduled. But no matter; the point is already made. Canada is no longer considered a free country by those who value unbridled discussions over nanny-state censorship. Some excerpts:

...Bradley Watson, professor of American and Western political thought at Pennsylvania's St. Vincent College, said he will present a petition calling for the American Political Science Association (APSA) to re-evaluate its selection of Toronto for its 2009 conference at this year's annual meeting, taking place over the Labour Day weekend in Boston.

His protest has garnered support from dozens of professors across the United States, including prominent scholars such as Princeton University legal philosopher Robert P. George and Harvard University's Harvey Mansfield.

...Mr. Watson said that professors signing the petition are concerned that recent human rights commission investigations into Maclean's and Western Standard magazines over articles concerning Islam, and the conviction of pastor Stephen Boisson, who was ordered by Alberta's human rights tribunal in May to cease publicizing criticisms of homosexuality, suggest that professors risk being chilled from discussing important academic subjects, or ending up in legal trouble. Mr. Watson said he plans to distribute hundreds of buttons to attendees at the Boston conference reading "Toronto 2009, Non!"

Several professors in the working group behind the protest "have written in areas that seem particularly disfavoured by the Canadian legal establishment," Mr. Watson said. "We are uncertain of the extent of the legal jeopardy that APSA members might place themselves in should they make public arguments in Canada, or post those arguments online, concerning hot-button issues like homosexuality, same-sex marriage, or the nature of the Islamist threat to Western civilization."

...In a statement issued on Thursday, the working group behind the protest said: "The nature of radical Islamism and the relationship of public morality and homosexual conduct are issues of vital public importance" and that "all political scientists have a professional interest in a full and open scholarly debate" on these topics. The group called it "unseemly" for APSA to "turn a blind eye to [Canadian] attacks on freedom of speech" and "unacceptable … to risk exposing its own members to them."

...APSA standards for selecting meeting sites include "protection of academic freedom, equitable access to opportunity, and a commitment to non-discrimination," but Mr. Watson said Canada does not satisfy that test. "Our belief is that most Americans--even APSA members--have no idea how precarious the rights of freedom of speech and conscience are in Canada," Mr. Watson said. Earlier this year, APSA reevaluated a decision to hold its 2012 meeting in New Orleans in light of complaints by some members that same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Louisiana. The organization's council voted in June not to overturn the decision.