Catholicism - A Hate Crime in Canada?

[peregrinus_WA]

Looks like the leftist “kangaroo court” is at it again:

Catholicism - A Hate Crime in Canada?

“If one, because of one’s sincerely held moral beliefs, whether it be Jew, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, opposes the idea of same-sex marriage in Canada, is that considered ‘hate’?”

The question was not rhetorical. Nor was it theoretical. Fr. Alphonse de Valk, a Basilian priest and pro-life activist known throughout Canada for his orthodoxy, is currently being investigated by the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) — a quasi-judicial investigative body with the power of the Canadian government behind it. The CHRC is using section 13 of Canada’s Human Rights Act to investigate the priest. This is a section under which no defendant has ever won once the allegation has gone to tribunal — the next stage of the process.

Most defendants end up paying thousands of dollars in fines and compensation. This is in addition to various court costs. Moreover, defendants are responsible for their own legal defense. In contrast, the commission provides free legal assistance to the complainant.

I only live a few miles from the Canadian border and I will not be crossing into there any time soon. In addition, I will not be buying anything made in Canada.

 

[Nickkname]

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5, 11-12)

 

[nice2000]

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5, 11-12)

I really love that scripture.

That’s a shame about that priest.

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

I found this intriguing within the article (bolded by me for emphasis):

Additionally, a message posted to a popular Catholic internet forum has reportedly made its way before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The alleged poster, who is an American writing from America, was commenting on an article written by Mark Steyn — a Canadian author who now lives in New Hampshire. The tribunal accepted this posting as evidence that Steyn promoted “hatred”. While the website is never mentioned by name in news reports - referred to only as “a Catholic website” — a source at the tribunal told me, off-the-record, that the website was Catholic Answers.

While the claim is unconfirmed as of this writing, the controversial Mark Steyn article, over which the British Columbia hearing is being held, was posted to the Catholic Answers message forum. Moreoever, popular Jewish-Canadian blogger Ezra Levant, who is blogging live from the hearing, and who is the subject of his own human rights commission complaint, published a description of the unnamed Catholic forum. Several details match, including the screen names of two participants to the Catholic Answers forum discussion of Steyn’s article.

Imagine that! Canada’s human rights tribunals are now attempting to prosecute a case against an American resident, based upon what an American citizen allegedly posted to a mainstream American Catholic website. What passes for mainstream Catholic discussion in America is now the basis for a hate complaint in Canada.

 

[Phemie]

They’re actually prosecuting the magazine (Maclean’s) which published excertps from Steyn’s book.

 

[Lance]

As long as Canada keeps the oil flowing south no one in our government will say a word against this sort of idiocy.

 

[ppeter]

I’ve been following this during the week, and all it took was a little Googling to see that they were talking about the Catholic.com forum. I don’t think they can take any action against the forum or its accessiblity in Canada, but the complainants are using what some of the commenters here said in response to the Macleans excerpt of Mark Steyn’s book as evidence that the excerpt effectively exposed Muslims to “hatred or contempt,” which violates British Columbia’s civil rights code. The implication clearly is that our forum is a vehicle of illicit anti-Muslim sentiment aroused by Canadian hate literature. The complainants are trying to get the state to force the private magazine to hand over editorial authority to them for an issue responding to the Steyn excerpt, to award monetary damages, and perhaps to impose still more punitive measures. Real freedom of political and religious speech is at stake.
The connection with Catholicism is clear in the context. Catholics and other Christians in Canada have been punished for speaking out on matters of faith and morals and forced to act against their consciences by the state. And Canada is not alone in this, unfortunately.

 

[Neil_Anthony]

Looks like the leftist “kangaroo court” is at it again:
I only live a few miles from the Canadian border and I will not be crossing into there any time soon. In addition, I will not be buying anything made in Canada.

Here’s an excerpt from the law that is being considered in these cases:

“It is a discriminatory practice for a person or a group of persons acting in concert to communicate telephonically or to cause to be so communicated, repeatedly, in whole or in part by means of the facilities of a telecommunication undertaking within the legislative authority of Parliament, any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt by reason of the fact that person or those persons are identifiable on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”

chrc.gc.ca/proactive_initiatives/hoi_hsi/qa_qr/page1-en.asp

 

[mdgspencer]

And this isn’t the only example of the law being used to persecute Christians in Canada. One of the most flagrant examples involved a gay student at a Catholic high school in the Toronto area several years ago. The gay student wanted to take his gay partner to the senior prom, and the high school said he could not. Then the gay student went to court and the judge ordered the high school to let him go to the prom. Nor, the judge ordered, could the high school cancel the prom. Local politicians including the mayor of Tornoto applauded this decision, the state in this way becoming involved by their open support. And a corporation hired a limosine to take the gay couple to the prom. There are other cases as bad as this one over the last several years.

 

[JimG]

Here’s an excerpt from the law that is being considered in these cases:

“It is a discriminatory practice for a person or a group of persons acting in concert to communicate telephonically or to cause to be so communicated, repeatedly, in whole or in part by means of the facilities of a telecommunication undertaking within the legislative authority of Parliament, any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt by reason of the fact that person or those persons are identifiable on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”

chrc.gc.ca/proactive_initiatives/hoi_hsi/qa_qr/page1-en.asp

So is “hate speech” against Catholics also actionable?

And whatever happened to free speech?

 

[Phemie]

And this isn’t the only example of the law being used to persecute Christians in Canada. One of the most flagrant examples involved a gay student at a Catholic high school in the Toronto area several years ago. The gay student wanted to take his gay partner to the senior prom, and the high school said he could not. Then the gay student went to court and the judge ordered the high school to let him go to the prom. Nor, the judge ordered, could the high school cancel the prom. Local politicians including the mayor of Tornoto applauded this decision, the state in this way becoming involved by their open support. And a corporation hired a limosine to take the gay couple to the prom. There are other cases as bad as this one over the last several years.

That’s because in Canada Catholic schools are not private schools but are government funded.

 

[peregrinus_WA]

So is “hate speech” against Catholics also actionable?

And whatever happened to free speech?

I do not think so. Christians have no rights in Canada now.

[SIGN1]Boycott
Canada!![/SIGN1]

 

[Freshman88]

And this isn’t the only example of the law being used to persecute Christians in Canada. One of the most flagrant examples involved a gay student at a Catholic high school in the Toronto area several years ago. The gay student wanted to take his gay partner to the senior prom, and the high school said he could not. Then the gay student went to court and the judge ordered the high school to let him go to the prom. Nor, the judge ordered, could the high school cancel the prom. Local politicians including the mayor of Tornoto applauded this decision, the state in this way becoming involved by their open support. And a corporation hired a limosine to take the gay couple to the prom. There are other cases as bad as this one over the last several years.

Ontario Catholic schools now refuse to organize proms. My prom was organized privately by the students, and they were told not to do so by the principal. Thankfully we managed to do so in the end, but we had to sell tickets off of school property, and could not advertise it on school property.

 

[Freshman88]

That’s because in Canada Catholic schools are not private schools but are government funded.

No, just in Ontario, but Ontario is the biggest and most important province (yeah, that’s right Alberta and Quebec, I said it!) so you often hear about the infamous Ontario Catholic School board.

**edit: I just noticed that your location is Canada, is there another province that has a setup like here in Ontario, I know that in BC and Quebec that there is no setup like this.

 

[Freshman88]

In addition, I will not be buying anything made in Canada.

What the heck are you talking aboot, eh?

Buy everything Canadian, please! A boycott, even if personal, would be silly.

The real problem is this kangaroo tribunal. Hopefully with the next election the Tories will have a majority government, and will use that power to actually make a change (if they aren’t too afraid of upsetting the liberals).

On a side note, the biggest religious community in Canada are Catholics. I think it says something about the Catholic Church in Canada too, if we have so many Catholic Canadians, yet such an unCatholic nation.

 

[Freshman88]

As long as Canada keeps the oil flowing south no one in our government will say a word against this sort of idiocy.

Honestly, I hope the American government doesn’t say anything. This nation is so Anti-American, that any kind of rebuke by Americans will only serve to encourage these rabid secularists(found on all sides of the spectrum).

 

[Phemie]

No, just in Ontario, but Ontario is the biggest and most important province (yeah, that’s right Alberta and Quebec, I said it!) so you often hear about the infamous Ontario Catholic School board.

**edit: I just noticed that your location is Canada, is there another province that has a setup like here in Ontario, I know that in BC and Quebec that there is no setup like this.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba all still have Catholic schools.

Newfoundland & Labrador abolished them in 1998 after 2 referenda showed that most people didn’t want denominational education. We still have religion in the schools, but it’s not specific to any denomination. It’s mostly comparative religion as I understand from my teacher friend. Crucifixes still allowed in the classroom - until someone complains. There are 3 private, Catholic schools in the province, in the two largest cities and in one very small community that refused to change from a Catholic system to a non-denominational system so they took over the school and run it themselves.

Nova Scotia & New Brunswick have not had denominational education for years.

NB never had separate school boards for Catholic & public when I was going to school. One board looked over the English & French schools & the Catholic and non-Catholic schools. Now, NB boards are split along linguistic, not religious lines.

PEI had Catholic education when we lived there in the late 80s, early 90s – but that may have been because my kids went to the French school and Catholics comprised 98% of that school population. I don’t see from their school board websites that they have any Catholic schools today.

 

[peregrinus_WA]

What the heck are you talking aboot, eh?

Buy everything Canadian, please! A boycott, even if personal, would be silly.

The real problem is this kangaroo tribunal. Hopefully with the next election the Tories will have a majority government, and will use that power to actually make a change (if they aren’t too afraid of upsetting the liberals).

On a side note, the biggest religious community in Canada are Catholics. I think it says something about the Catholic Church in Canada too, if we have so many Catholic Canadians, yet such an unCatholic nation.

Because the only thing the left understands is when the money runs dry. I am almost ashamed to say that my late cousin is in your Canadian Football Hall of Fame (5 Gray Cup wins as a QB there)

 

[Freshman88]

Because the only thing the left understands is when the money runs dry. I am almost ashamed to say that my late cousin is in your Canadian Football Hall of Fame (5 Gray Cup wins as a QB there)

But a boycott is just absoluetly silly. Not only is no one calling for it (except for you, evidently), but you do realize that America’s biggest trading partner is Canada (both exports and imports). It would do horrible damage to the American economy, and the Canadian economy alike. Not to mention that a boycott would hurt those of us who are fighitng for a sane Canada (I personally happen to love American money ). I think however, I’ve already spent way too much time on such an asinine notion.

Awesome for your late cousin (eternal memory!), I love the CFL (Oskie Wee Wee! ), now that’s REAL football! I don’t know why you would be ashamed .

 

[Aquinas74]

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5, 11-12)

Amen