Salim Mansur's column

Salim Mansur is a liberty-oriented columnist for the Sun chain of newspapers, and he's a professor at the University of Western Ontario. He often writes about foreign affairs from a pro-Western point of view. He's a moderate Muslim voice, which puts him at odds with the radical Islamist leadership of groups such as the Canadian Islamic Congress and CAIR-CAN.

Without any further ado, here is his latest column on freedom in Canada -- with generous words for my online campaign against the human rights commissions. Some excerpts:

In a crowded year for news such as 2008, there was one subject of vital importance for Canadians that did not receive sufficient media and public attention.

This is the grassroots campaign supporting freedom of speech unconstrained by the coercive arm of the state -- the federal and provincial Human Rights Commissions (HRC). It is truly bizarre that in the 21st century such a campaign has to be organized in one of the oldest liberal democracies.

...the Canadian state armed the federal HRC -- provincial governments have followed Ottawa -- with section 13 in the Canadian Human Rights Act to penalize speech if it is "likely" to expose someone to contempt or hatred even though it might not be proven in court.

...In this campaign to keep free speech free Ezra Levant, lawyer, journalist, publisher, bon vivant, having experienced the Canadian version of HRC inquisition, has become the leader. He has emerged as Canada's Emile Zola, marshalling the arguments and eloquently making the case in his blog -- Ezra's blog is a must read on this subject -- of how the HRC censors ignominiously subvert Canadian democracy.

A just cause rallies free individuals and Ezra Levant stands at their head as a growing cadre of bloggers make this cause of keeping free speech free in Canada their own.

PLAYING NICE

There are individuals such as Kathy Shaidle. Her little book on the subject, The Tyranny of Nice, has become an underground hot item across North America.

And then there is the inimitable Mark Steyn, a Canadian voice for uninhibited and critical discourse on politics and culture, gone global rallying his resources behind this cause.

Many of these individuals are without deep pockets -- such as Mark and Connie Fournier operating the online forum Free Dominion -- and while harassed by the HRCs have stepped into the breach defending free speech in Canada.

The big shameful question remains where are the politicians?