Posted on 07/05/2008 7:00:38 AM PDT by kellynla
TORONTO, July 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canadian Human Rights Commission has dropped a complaint by a homosexual activist against Catholic Insight a Toronto-based national Catholic news magazine. A year and a half - and many thousands of dollars in legal fees - after a nine-point human rights complaint was filed by Edmonton-based homosexual activist Rob Wells, Catholic Insight has been informed that the case has been dropped. However, a judicial review before the Federal Court is still possible should the complainant pursue that avenue.
In a letter the Commission noted that it decided "to dismiss the complaint because the material (produced by Catholic Insight) is not likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt based on sexual orientation." It added that "the file on this matter has now been closed."
Wells filed the complaint over the magazine's allegedly offensive coverage of homosexual activism and the issues it has affected. According to editor Father Alphonse de Valk, however, the magazine has consistently set out the Roman Catholic Church's position on such questions, making it clear that persons with same-sex attraction must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity and every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.
"We welcome the Canadian Human Rights Commission's decision in this matter and were confident from the outset that we would be vindicated," said Father de Valk. He added that his publication not only has the right, but the responsibility, to report, analyze, comment on, and criticize where necessary, homosexual activism as it pertains to important social issues such as the nature of marriage, adoption rights, the allocation of social benefits, burdens on the health system caused by unhealthy behaviours and so on.
"It is chilling to think that a publication can be hauled before a government tribunal simply for reporting to interested citizens developments in these areas of controversy," said Father de Valk. "This matter underscores once again the necessity of urgent reform of the Canadian human rights system." He added that, coupled with a series of actions launched by a Toronto-based homosexual activist, Catholic Insight has been unnecessarily burdened with $20,000 in legal fees to date.
Given the consistently unsuccessful nature of these homosexual activist attacks upon it, Catholic Insight will now examine the prospects of launching countering legal actions against those who have been unnecessarily harassing and financially burdening the publication, said Father de Valk.
ping
Amazing, a shred of a free press still exists in Canada, at least for the short-term..
Fascism has come to Canada.......can it be many more years before it’s entrenched here?
Is it possible for this magazine to sue the accuser?
This is fantastic news. This is one of the Provincal Committees set up like a kangaroo court. This is a direct result of Mark Steyn’s brilliant defense of his position and the resultant retreat of these goons in the face of public scrutiny.
It’s utterly RIDICULOUS that any attention was given to the complaint in the first place.
What would be fantastic news would be an announcement by the provincial goverment that these star chambers were being closed down.
Until one of these cases makes its way to the Canadian Supreme Court for a definitive ruling, speech will continue to be highly chilled.
These “courts” are pulling back now because of all the bad publicity they are receiving outside Canada. Once that passes they will be at it again.
The folks who run these “courts” are real thugs.
In secular society there is an unspoken presumption against religion that many multitudes share. It's thoroughly inculcated in government school, and millions of people spend the rest of their lives scrupulously avoiding the Subject which they've been taught to consider illegitimate, as a reflex.
Otherwise everyone and his mother would be up in arms over this. Of course they would.
But instead the general attitude is, "Who gives a d**n?" That's only natural in people who've been schooled in isolation from what's important to their parents, whether parents like it or not, at the behest of some unidentified "masters" who pull the strings of the government education apparatus.
“It’s utterly RIDICULOUS that any attention was given to the complaint in the first place.”
Yea, well some folks would complain if there weren’t enough candles on their birthday cake! LOL
I’ve learned to ignore the self appointed “posting police” and the “flame-baiters.” LOL
Have a good Saturday!
Yes. But what is REALLY so scary about secular societies is that there is no right or wrong......there’s only the government.
Hitler and Stalin understood this....and I fear, so do some pretty evil people on the US left.
As far as I know, this is the FIRST time that these tribunals have ever found for a defendent accused by some politically correct person such as a Muslim or a homosexual.
Excellent news.
I doubt whether a small Catholic magazine can easily afford $20,000 in legal expenses. I hope they sue the pants off the accuser AND the tribunal. Certainly in this country such arbitrary tribunals would be found unconstitutional—or at least they would be if SCOTUS wasn’t broken. It was exactly this kind of arbitrary persecution without redress that fueled the American Revolution in the first place.
The Canadians, of course, did not revolt against their arbitrary masters, and are more likely by ancient habit to lie down and take it.
They grind a person/s down with legalities and force them to enlist legal counsel, then drop proceedings. It is a tactic which then makes others think twice before even opening their mouths.
The grim warning is unspoken, but it follows- "you have been lucky this time". Poor Canada.
The liberal creeps are attempting to bring this type of fascism to the states with New Mexico and Colorado leading the way. It needs to go to the USSC now to put a stop to it before it has a chance to get out of hand as it already has in Canada.
Second Time.
Mark Steyn and MaCleans magazine won first in their face-off with the Muzzies. Now the Catholics have won in their stand-up for religious values against the militant queer secularists.
I think the tide may be turning against the Canadian Human Rights Commissions. People are starting to understand that they are not so much concerned with advancing human rights as they are in advancing their version of socialist political correctness.
I was on the road for a couple of days and just heard that they backed down on Marc Steyn. Great news.
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