10 Comments

• Jim Whyte says:

  “Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects virtually all manner of opinion and expression, and has been doing so for more than a quarter century.”

  Ah, yes. Being the ancient that I am, I can remember those harrowing years before 1982. The knocks on the door in the middle of the night; the death camps along the CN North line; the people that simply disappeared at dark of night; the fear of speaking to your neighbour, in case he was a snitch.

  Charter be damned: our right to speak freely is a product of centuries of Common Law.

• George says:

  Mr. Hopper, what is it you actually do at the “M.A Center for American Studies”? I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt and imagine that your responsibilities at the Center keeps you so busy that you don’t have time to read up on what is going on in Canada concerning “free speech”. Otherwise you would be aware that Mr. Steyn, and many others, have (and are) being persecuted for their speech regardless of the so-called “Charter of Rights and Freedoms”. Their bravery and effort to face those that would have them silenced only benefits ridiculous people like you. He deserves much more from you than your snide, dismissive tone.
  @ Jim: agreed. The charter is not worth the paper it is written on.

• Jan says:

  Call back when Mr. Stein is on his way to jail. Yawn! He’ll still get his nice fat speaking fee.

• LaVallette says:

  Jan says:
  “Call back when Mr. Stein is on his way to jail. Yawn! He’ll still get his nice fat speaking fee.”

  And who is the Mr.”German beer mug” Jan is talking about. Mr. Steyn is actually not Jewish!!!

• Jan says:

  LaVallette, so our friend Mark “is actually not Jewish !!!” Does that matter to you? Enquiring minds want to know.

• Chris O'Malley says:

  You don’t have to thrown in jail to have your free speech rights stifled. Steyn did invaluable service to the rights of all Canadians by exposing the human rights tribunals as the political, govt funded star chambers they are. Many poor nobodies without his means and public profile fell afoul of these busybodies and were financially ruined trying to defend themselves and had their reputations publicly and unfairly blackened in the process. Our rights are constantly under attack, do not be niave.

• Mark says:

  Mr. Steyn is one of the few people in Canada who are willing to stand up and say the Human Rights Tribunals are just Orwellian speak for just the opposite of human rights. They are a farce, a joke and the efforts that those who support them politically to shut down people like Steyn and Coulter prove the point.

  You can take the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and put it through a Document shredder at any point now…because it is obvious that it is a meaningless piece of toilet paper. George, you are quite right…English Common Law as was forwarded into the original BNA act has more relevence….

• John says:

  Why is it that so much that passes for liberal wisdom sounds the same as being over-tired? Miles, throw off the ennui and get in the game. It’s not performance, it’s defense of our God-given rights. But then how can I expect that anyone who works at a center for American studies can be a serious person.

• Aaron says:

  Jan, why don’t you read up on the plight of Guy Earle and others who have been through the human rights wringer.

• Rick says:

  Seven-ish years ago, Dr. Lawrence Britt delineated “Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism.” Among them: powerful and continuing nationalism; identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause; and, disdain for intellectuals and the arts. Sound familiar? So, yes to free speech — but let’s also call Steyn out for the jingoistic jester that he is.

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