CALGARY: Canada Family Action Coalition has for 5 years been advocating the need to fix "human rights' Acts and narrow the scope and powers of commissioners of the "bastardized courts" called Human Rights Commissions.

It has become apparent in the past month how badly the Acts are written and how they are being misused to violate the rights of Canadians guaranteed under section 2 of the Charter.

We today have a major national magazine, a federal political party leader and a registered political party, a major Catholic newspaper and an internationally renowned journalist all of whom are being investigated by appointed "hate speech therapists" from the commissions.

"Will these complaints be fully pursued? We wait to see but the notion that a quasi judicial body with people untrained in judicial matters can hear, rule and convict people for their opinions, speech and writing sends us back to McCarthyism days", says Brian Rushfeldt Executive Director of CFAC. Do you know a communist?

There must be hate and discrimination lurking in every corridor, on every page, and in the ideas those 'monsters' hold in their minds. But I am sure the "hate speech dictators" will be able to duly determine which cases should be heard and which ones should be denied. After all, the clause in the Alberta Act is so clear as to leave the decision to the whim of members of the HRC. Section 3(1) states that if something "indicates discrimination" and "is likely to expose to hatred or contempt" there would be a basis for action. Of course we would be comforted by procedural rules in that Act "30:(2) Evidence may be given before a human rights panel in any manner that the panel considers appropriate, and the panel is not bound by the rules of law respecting evidence in judicial proceedings." A quasi court not bound by the rule of law?

Section 3(2) [Nothing in this section shall be deemed to interfere with the free expression of opinion on any subject…", seems to be ignored in many of the cases of complaint pursued by the commission. There has been a violation of its own regulations, at least in Alberta cases.

It is time to rescind every section of the Acts that do not pertain to employment, accommodation and pay - the original purpose of the Acts. One of the original architects I would think would be speaking out very loudly against most actions of the commissions. He said about forms of censorship, "hardly the role we had envisioned for human rights commissions." I wonder why civil liberties defenders are not loud and clear on these issues?

Will governments now act and rescind in whole or in part the tools being used for bullying and oppression of freedoms?

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