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Thursday, February 14, 2008

NO APOLOGIES
The thugs on the Commie Commissions
Exclusive: Tristan Emmanuel blasts prime minister for refusing to defend free speech

Posted: February 14, 2008
12:45 am Eastern

By Tristan Emmanuel

I say again I don't know who wrote these empty talking points, or when. But when every medium in the country, from the Globe and Mail to the Toronto Star to the National Post, are united in calling for an amendment of section 13, surely a little bit of political courage can be expected from a government calling itself Conservative. – Ezra Levant

We are in the fight for our lives in Canada these days on the issue of "freedom of speech." I have previously written about Canada's "Human Rights Commissions" and their attempts to shut down free speech in Canada, especially speech that runs counter to accepted liberal dogma. As a follow up to that last column, it's worth noting that while the specific charges I wrote about there against FreeDominion.ca – Canada's largest online conservative political forum – were ultimately dropped, the owners of the site decided late last year to sell the whole thing to a company in Panama, a company which describes its corporate mission as "buying websites from individuals and corporations living in countries where free speech is under attack, and protecting those websites from being shut down or seized by oppressive governments." Yes, it's come to that in Canada.

And now there are more cases of attempted suppression of free speech. The latest ones involve conservative columnist Mark Steyn and MacLean's magazine – kind of a Canadian version of Time or Newsweek – and a man named Ezra Levant.

Maclean's reprinted a chapter out of Steyn's book "America Alone" more than a year ago, a chapter detailing the growth of Muslim demographics in Europe and what that growth could mean to Western society. Some Muslims claim they were offended by the article and are hauling Maclean's and Mark Steyn before two of these Commie Commissions.

As to Ezra Levant, he used to publish a newsmagazine in Calgary; it was the only Canadian news outlet with the courage to reprint the so-called "Danish cartoons" two years ago. Like Steyn, he is being hauled before one of these I'm-Offended Commissions to answer for his political incorrectness. There is, incidentally, some amazing videos of his questioning at YouTube. Just search on "Ezra Levant" and get ready to stand and cheer at the way he defends the principles of free speech and a free press.

Those videos have been viewed close to half a million times since they were posted a month ago, and because of the resultant publicity, one of the complainants in the case is now backing away. That publicity has also forced the Canadian government actually to acknowledge that this is becoming an issue. Earlier this week, the news division of the ECP Centre, noapologies.ca, broke a story on exactly what the government plans to do. Our news editor obtained a leaked copy of a "talking points" document that was being circulated to government members of Parliament. The document, essentially, says the government plans to lie low, say nothing and hope this all goes away.

It was that document that Levant was referring to in the opening quote of this column. And I worry that he is desperately wrong in his hope that "a little bit of political courage can be expected from a government calling itself Conservative."

Ezra himself is a courageous man. Watch the videos at YouTube if you don't believe me.

But I don't hold out much hope for "courage" from Canada's prime minister, either on this or on any other issue. The fact is Canadian politicians don't generally act on issues of real importance until they are shamed into doing something.

And I include the prime minister, Stephen Harper, in that assessment. I've never been a fan of Harper's. Yes, he's done a few good things, and yes, he's a lot better than the Liberals. But that's essentially the same Hobson's choice that says John McCain is better than Hillary Clinton. I really don't think it's that big a deal when someone who claims to be a Conservative actually behaves a little bit less like a liberal than a full-blown Liberal.

But in Canada, conservatives seem unwilling to raise the bar of expectation. And when Ezra Levant writes that "surely a little bit of courage can be expected," he is articulating the sorry state of Canadian politics in crystal clear terms.

I'm no political operative, but I would respectfully say to Ezra that at this late stage in the game, "courage" has nothing to do with any of this.

The time for Stephen Harper to have shown "courage" on this issue came and went years ago. He could have shown courage by coming to the defense of teacher Chris Kempling who was (and continues to be) maliciously vilified and persecuted by his professional association – the B.C. College of Teachers – for writing a letter to the editor in defense of traditional marriage. But Harper said nothing.

Harper could have spoken out for other Canadians similarly accused and persecuted; people such as Hugh Owens, Scott Brockie and Steven Boissoin, all of whom have suffered myriad injustices at the hands of the Gestapo-like tactics of the "Human Rights" thugs for daring to stand for traditional values, and for giving voice to what amount to politically incorrect ideas.

Instead, Stephen Harper has said and done exactly nothing. And the "talking points" that were circulated to his members of Parliament this week advocate a continuation of this non-action.

The time for Harper to show real courage as a stalwart defender of free-speech values has come and gone.

Last month, a Liberal member of Parliament introduced a motion that would deal with some of the more egregiously fascist aspects of the Human Rights Act. And now, a coterie of columnists and commentators has jumped on board the bandwagon, to the point where "free speech" may actually become trendy again.

So let's be clear about something. If Stephen Harper actually does speak out in favor of the right to speak out at this late stage of the game, he'll simply be showing that he is the consummate politician who won't say or do anything unless it is safe. He certainly won't be showing "courage." It's way too late for that.

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