The CHRC doesn't know Canadian law and doesn't give a damn

The other day, the National Post's John Ivison wrote about the Canadian Human Rights Commission's appalling view, as expressed under oath by "hate speech" investigator Dean Steacy, that "freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don’t give it any value".

Seriously, Steacy said that -- look it up for yourself in the transcript of the hearing, here, at page 4793.

Ivison asked the CHRC to explain themselves, and they told him:

(a commission spokesperson said this quote has been taken out of context and that if the question had been about freedom of expression, one of the freedoms guaranteed in the Charter, the answer would have been different).

That's a lie, of course. Here's my letter to the editor in today's Post pointing out that lie:

CHRC 'bullies' don't believe in free speech

Re: Laws Can't Assure We'll Never Be Offended, John Ivison, April 3.

John Ivison is right to focus on the stunning testimony of the Canadian Human Rights Commission's "hate speech" investigator, Dean Steacy, who declared that "freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don't give it any value."

What's even more amazing is that when Mr. Ivison asked the CHRC about this shocking statement, the commission actually tried to defend it.

First the CHRC's spin doctors told Mr. Ivison that the quote was taken out of context. But it wasn't -- it was a one-sentence answer to a one-sentence question: "What value do you give freedom of speech when you investigate one of these complaints?"

Then the CHRC tried to argue that our Charter of Rights only protects "freedom of expression," so it's OK that its censors don't give any value to "freedom of speech" because that's "different." But that's just stupid: speech is a kind of expression, the most common kind.

Despite what the CHRC says, freedom of speech is guaranteed under Canadian law: the 1960 Bill of Rights brought in by John Diefenbaker lists "freedom of speech" right in section 1. And the phrase "freedom of speech" has been used in no less than 243 rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Canada's censorship laws are being enforced by bullies who don't give a damn about our freedoms and don't even know the law.

Ezra Levant, Calgary.