Senators Speaking Out Against the Human Rights Commissions

Various Senators are speaking out against the Human Rights Commissions, and asking for a review of the Human Rights Act. Their main argument is that the HRCs, and part of the HRA, curtail freedom of speech. I have never totally bought the freedom of speech argument. The problem with these institutions, which touch on the Multiculturalism Act and the Immigration Act, is that they are an attempt at accommodating diverse peoples, and especially giving visible minorities, with unfair advantages.

I think I am the only one here in Canada who writes (and has written extensively) in this manner when it comes to the HRCs. I don't see them as a problem exclusively with freedom of speech, but as institutions which are changing Canadians' relationships with each other and with their country.

I will post about my perspective soon, since I want to make my points as clear and succinct as possible. But for now, these developments are a good start, although not quite in the right direction.

Time for Ezra Levant to Focus His Energy on Addressing Multiculturalism and High Levels of Immigration

In my previous post, I wrote that the underlying existence of the Human Rights Commissions is to prevent discrimination of "vulnerable" groups such as women, racial minorities, the disabled, homosexuals, native Canadians, and religious minorities.

My position about the HRCs has always been that they exist mostly as a result of the multicultural and high immigration policies of Canada. I tried to convey this with statistics, articles and direct information from the HRCs and other governmental resources in my series of posts under Human Rights Commissions. I started this endeavor when I began to analyze Ezra Levant's complaints regarding the HRCs, which is that he is after dismantling them because they curtail freedom of speech and expression. Well, the reality is that they didn't stop the "freedom of speech" of the Muslims who attacked him, and dragged the case for three years during which he lost thousands of dollars.

Well, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, a union group, says it like it really is. In my previous post, I quoted PSAC as saying that closure of HRCs posts will "have a particular impact on racialized people and recent immigrants."

Somebody finally tells the truth, and it isn't the Conservative government, nor is it pundits like Levant and Mark Steyn (who was also stung by the HRC courts). It is a leftist union organization which let the cat out of the bag. Although, none of this was ever really a secret.

I tried to convey this to Ezra Levant, but email communication wasn’t really possible since he has no address posted at his site. So, I have been linking all my blog posts on the HRCs to his blog, hoping that he gets the time to read them.

Dismantling the HRCs is a gargantuan endeavor, not only because Canada has very specific, biased views on what is free speech and what isn't - look at Ann Coulter's experience - but because those very people for whom the HRCs exist are growing in numbers and in power.

Unless immigration rates are reduced, and the multicultural polices of Canada are revised (and frankly thrown out), the forces that push for organizations like the HRCs will continue to get stronger.

Perhaps my conclusions are unrealistic: Multicultural policies will never be revised, and immigration of minorities (both religious – i.e. Muslims - and racial) will continue to grow.

But, it is a first step to point out that the HRCs' problem is multi-faceted. Specific mandates and policies have been put in place, which gave strength and staying power to these institutions.

Even the Harper’s government seems convinced of their necessity. Rather than closing down centers, his government is allowing an overall expansion of the organization, with increased funding.

One final thought: the HRCs have actually become the canary in the coal mine, exposing the consequences of multiculturalism and high levels of immigration (and immigrants). I hope Levant starts to focus on this now, and perhaps more specifically and more realistically, on the Muslim presence here in Canada, who came in primarily through immigration and who are taking maximum advantage of the multicultural policies of the country.

Human Rights Commissions Service "Racialized People and Recent Immigrants"

Just yesterday, there was news circulating that Harper's government had closed down three branch HRC offices: one in Toronto, one in Vancouver and another in Halifax. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) declared that these closures:

will have a particular impact on racialized people and recent immigrants. In many cases, the closures will make it much more difficult to challenge both systemic abuses and individual instances of discrimination. 

Well, it turns out that it wasn't Harper's government that ordered these closures, but the by HRC itself. Complaints are apparently dealt with more efficiently via telephone or email, and these three outreach branches were closed for budgetary reasons.

What is actually happening is not cuts, but expansions including an increased budget for the HRCs:

C[Canadinan]HRC’s budget is expected to grow from $21.5 million in the current fiscal year to just under $23 million in 2011-2012 fiscal year. The number of employees is set to rise as well from 197 full-time equivalencies to 203.

I've had whole posts explaining that the problem behind the HRCs is bigger than their pseudo-court systems (link to my Issues: Human Rights Commissions section on the side panel). I've discussed, analyzed, and demonstrated that the majority of the HRC complaints, notwithstanding the very few high profile anti-Christian homosexual ones, come from minorities, of which a large part are immigrants.

Recent demographic projections for Canada show that these “racialized” people, which includes Muslims, will continue to increase dramatically over the next twenty years. These are the kinds of people the HRCs cater for. Cases similar to Ezra Levant's and Mark Steyn's, who were brought before the "courts" by Muslim immigrants, will only grow, perhaps less dramatically at first, but in many other guises.

It is one thing to dismantle the HRCs. But, without correcting the roots of these problems which involves reducing the high immigration rates of “racialized” peoples, including Muslims, the HRCs will continue to exist and function in some manner. Attempting to dismantle them will only cause these politicized groups, with strong lobbies and high voting power, to rise up in furor.

Harper knows this, and that is why his government is keeping quiet.

Muslim Student Is Not an Assimilated Canadian Despite Her Conventional-Looking Facebook Site

Here is the Facebook page of the University of Western Ontario Muslim woman, Fatima Al Dhaher, who asked Ann Coulter to expand on her comment about Muslims flying off on their magic carpets that Coulter made a few years ago.

Bloggers have scoured the Internet to find out more about her, and landed on her Facebook page, which is of course deleted now. Blazingcatfur has screensavers of her Facebook pages, including the one I have above.

So, this is what an "assimilated moderate Muslim" looks like. She's a regular college student, likes John Mayer, watches Glee,  and has a bunch of innocous-sounding Facebook friends like Katy Clarke and Ashley Murray. But wait, what's that about "It's called Palestine, not Israel!!!!"?

Here is another screensaver from her now-deleted Facebook with the Israeli flag crossed out, next to the Palestinian flag. And yet another of a comment written on her Facebook by someone who hasn't a mainstream Canadian name, who talks about zionazis and kikeroaches.

The delusional division of radical vs. moderate Muslims is showing itself to be a sham on a regular basis. More Fatimas are in the woodworks, who appear to be regular Canadian girls going to college and are fans of pop stars and TV shows. But they always show their true colors at some point.

Ann Coulter in Canada Says She'll File...a Human Rights Commission Complaint

Ann Coulter is filing a Human Rights Commission complaint for hate crime towards her - a conservative, although she refines it by saying a Christian conservative woman. It is both funny and serious at the same time. I'm not sure she really means it, and if she's just saying it for effect. Her argument is that the letter the University of Ottawa's provost sent her was a "hate crime" towards her, and that it could also incite further hatred by others towards her. Coulter is always provocative, and I don't fully understand her accusation of "hate crime." I think it was more a case of discrimination, against the group that she has described: Christians and conservatives (females not necessarily so).

The University of Ottawa's provost sent a letter to Coulter. Here is the pertinent excerpt:

You will realize that Canadian law puts reasonable limits on the freedom of expression. For example, promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges. Outside of the criminal realm, Canadian defamation laws also limit freedom of expression and may differ somewhat from those to which you are accustomed. I therefore ask you, while you are a guest on our campus, to weigh your words with respect and civility in mind. 

Most pundits, bloggers and non-liberal writers have said that this was a veiled threat warning Coulter that if her speech is unacceptable according to the requests of the letter, she could face repercussions.

In any case, her speech at the University of Ottawa was canceled due to an unruly crowd which caused the organizers of her lecture tour to fear for her safety.

Despite her canceled lecture in Ottawa, Calgary welcomed her with open arms. There's never a dull moment with Coulter, and her humor and drama was a good way to expose the hypocrisy of Canadian bureaucrats.

Her energetic, funny and informative interview with Michael Coren, where she holds nothing back (including her jokes about Canada), is here. She even manages to subdue him, and that is quite a feat.

More Reason for Resolve

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,
ca. 1497–98. Albrecht Dürer

One thing my short time battling liberals has taught me is that liberals never, ever compromise. They expect us to come to their side, and they don't budge an inch toward our side.

The other lesson I've learned is that, despite all our (my) good intentions and fair play, at some point, liberals often resort to lying and trickery (I will stick by those words) so adeptly and insouciantly that it looks like they made a mistake, to forge ahead with their desires.

The third lesson I've learned is that anyone who persistently and determinedly refuses to "go to the other side" is deemed irrational, and even fanatical. Liberals are very good at soiling a person's character, to render that person's arguments moot.

The despairing thing is that many conservatives do cave in, just a little here, and a little there, moving inch by inch towards the liberal side of things until finally they're right in the middle of it all.

I don’t know why, or how, this really happens. I think at some point conservatives think their positions are untenable, that they are truly the uncompromising monsters that liberals make them out to be, and what is wrong with health care for everyone anyway?

This is the time for resolve. It is also time for study and reflection, to understand and follow the true principles that provide the best possible environment for the best possible human beings. Sentimental reactions are not the solutions.

Recently, I have been watching End Times programs of American and Canadian Evangelicals. There are reasonable men who describe and analyze the scenarios from the Book of Revelation. They provide unimpassioned views of what we should expect. But, they say that just because the world appears to be heading that way (although it actually is) doesn't mean we give up on our principles. The wilder the world gets, the stronger our resolve should be to make it right, by following proper guidance. The more despairing the world appears, the more our responsibility to try to correct it. We should strive to do so every single day, despite our disappointments and our failures.

The American health care battle – war, really – has taught us that there are no soft liberals. They mean what they say, and they do what they say they will do. This goes for every aspect of the liberal world. They may be following the path toward the predicted End Times, but we have the option of not going down that road with them. The world is still ours to save.

One last thing I should add. After all the lies, arm-twisting and sheer bombarding force that the Democrats went through, all they got was four extra votes. Hardly a resounding victory. People should never despair. Evil is often far weaker than we can imagine. Capitulation is never the answer.

Friends of America

Psalm 57:1-4

In this time of incredible social upheaval, when America most needs friends and prayers, here is what I send:

Psalm 57:1-4 (King James)

¹Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
²I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
³He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
 ⁴My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.