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It appears as though we have a big brother north of the border looking out for us, and all that is civil in the world. And NO, I am not talking about Santa Claus either, although the Canadian government does seem to live in a perpetual fantasy land of their dreams. Suddenly, they have become ‘holier than thou' concerning their version of free speech. As evidenced by this letter to Ann Coulter concerning her invitation to speak on the campus at the University of Ottawa:
Dear Ms. Coulter,
I understand that you have been invited by University of Ottawa Campus Conservatives to speak at the University of Ottawa this coming Tuesday. . . .
I would, however, like to inform you, or perhaps remind you, that our domestic laws, both provincial and federal, delineate freedom of expression (or "free speech") in a manner that is somewhat different than the approach taken in the United States. I therefore encourage you to educate yourself, if need be, as to what is acceptable in Canada and to do so before your planned visit here.
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. . . .
Hopefully, you will understand and agree that what may, at first glance, seem like unnecessary restrictions to freedom of expression do, in fact, lead not only to a more civilized discussion, but to a more meaningful, reasoned and intelligent one as well.
I hope you will enjoy your stay in our beautiful country, city and campus.
Sincerely,
Francois Houle,
Vice-President Academic and Provost, University of Ottawa
My, our neighbors to the north are suddenly puffing their chests just because we, here in the United States, now will have substandard health care just like they have had for years. Perhaps we have empowered them to make themselves feel like they are actually contributing to things, such as the security of our continent. Take for example their massive Navy. It consists of 2 destroyers, 1 frigate and 1 submarine.....I have personally seen all of them except the submarine go by in the waters around the Puget Sound. It's a good thing they are here to protect us from the North Koreans. Or is it protection from the local whale watch boats? It is hard to tell.
Concerning their threat to Ms. Coulter of possible criminal charges because, "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...; it is interesting how they "choose" what is hate and what is not. Any opposing view, from their own liberal slant, has to be restricted in their book. Once again, I have listened to Canadian radio for years. Especially during the Bush Administration years, and trust me, they don't enforce hatred being spewed out against conservatives. A Victoria, BC radio station dj has an editorial once a day that literally was a rant against anything conservative, primarily on things happening in the United States.
It is my opinion that Francois Houle, is the one that should be prosecuted for a hate crime for threatening Ms. Coulter with a statement that her speech ‘could in fact lead to criminal charges'.
Truly,
Michael Bertrand
Publisher & Co-founder
The Daily Pledge
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