Official Attack on Canadian Blog Ends Inconclusively

Apparently, the complaint that moved the Canadian Feds into action was withdrawn by the complainant, a Ms. Mary Lynn Gentes. Background to the matter is here.

The legislation under which the authorities were working stresses conciliation as a first step so I suspect that the authorities told the complainant that she would probably not win and advised her to withdraw.

So whether you can speak ill of Islam or homosexuals on Canadian blogs remains unresolved. But Canadian bloggers will now no doubt be pretty muzzled against such criticisms.

That's a pity because Canada has a constitutionally entrenched Bill of Rights ("The Charter") under which the anti-free-speech legislation could be challenged -- with a good prospect of success. Rights ennumerated in the Charter include freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of expression, freedom of the press and of other media of communication. And, being constitutional, such rights override laws made by Canadian legislatures. But deep pockets would be needed to mount such a challenge. You would be taking on the whole Canadian government.

Canada lacks free speech not because speech lacks constitutional protection there but because Canadians have such weak egos that they are constantly trying to prove that they are wiser and better than the USA is -- and they are childish enough to think that doing the opposite of what the USA does proves that. It's a "little brother" syndrome. New Zealanders hate Australians for the same reason. Pathetic.

Australia has fewer people than Canada but Australians don't define themselves in relation to the USA the way Canada does. The average Australian has a strong sense of his Australian identity -- powerfully reinforced whenever he travels overseas -- so doesn't need to prove it. Australia's Leftist intellectuals often twist themselves into knots trying to define the Australian identity but the average Australian does not even think about such things -- he just feels it in his bones. And that's why Australia has long been America's best friend (even fighting in Vietnam). We feel free to acknowledge it if we think America has got it right.

Hey! Maybe I've just uttered hate-speech against Canada! That would be fun. Though who'd be bothered to hate Canada?