HELP CAFE — SUPPORT FREE SPEECH

                                        HELP CAFE — SUPPORT FREE SPEECH                                                                                                                                                   

                                          Canadian Association for Free Expression

Box 332,

Rexdale, Ontario, M9W 5L3

Ph: 905-566-4455; FAX: 905-566-4820

Website: http://cafe.nfshost.com

Paul Fromm, B.Ed, M.A. Director

 

Times of Triumph and Challenge for Free Speech in Canada

            It’s been six months since I wrote to you. What a wild time it’s been for freedom of speech in Canada!

 

                Canadians are heading in two different directions. On the one hand, more and more people are speaking up for freedom of speech. Almost every weekend, somewhere in Canada there is a protest against immigration or radical Islam and prominent in these protests are concerns about Motion-103, now before the Commons Heritage Committee. M-103 was a condemnation of Islamophobia by Iqra Khalid, a Pakistani who is a Mississauga Liberal MP. People rightly fear that out of this will come even more restrictions on freedom of speech. On the other hand, a panicking cultural Marxist elite is striking out in all directions trying to suppress criticism of special minorities — Moslems, Jews, the sexually unusual — LGBTQ etc.

 

Ottawa Library Folds & Cancels Showing of Movie Critical of Islamic Invasion of Europe

                Almost every day, it seems, there is a new issue requiring a response from CAFE and very often a timely video on You Tube. We are amassing a growing audience. Just as I sat down to write this letter to you, I was made aware that the cowardly Ottawa Public Library had cancelled a meeting of Act! For Canada because they were going to screen the movie Killing Europe. Chronic busybody Richard Warman, who apparently had not seen the movie, declared it was “hate propaganda”. Needless to say, it has never been the subject of a “hate” charge or a conviction. CAFE quickly sent complaints to the Ottawa Library and provided our list with the contact e-mails of the Board.

 

Thought Control Forces Lose One: Professor Tony Hall Returns to U of Lethbridge

                The day before, we got good news. Professor Tony Hall of the University of Lethbridge was back in the classroom. Changes in provincial law — yes, Rachel Notley has managed to do one thing right — forced the university to cancel its suspension and  BANNING from, campus of Professor Hall. He had criticized Zionism and insisted that there should be open debate on the holocaust. B’nai Brith, one of Canada’s most strident anti-free speech group, howled and Tony Hall, a tenured professor, was banned from campus last year and faces charges before the Alberta Human Rights Commission. CAFE wrote a number of letters supporting him and I know many of you did too.

 

Lindsay Shepherd — Free Speech Heroine

                More good news. A creepy story from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario. Lindsay Shepherd is a very brave 22 year old woman. She is a graduate student and was teaching a class in communications. She was talking about the issue where some sexual dysfunctionals insist on being called “zir” or “they” instead of he or her. She played part of a TVO debate between University of Toronto psychologist Prof. Jordan Peterson who opposes such nonsense and another professor who supports the use of these made-up terms. All hell broke loose. Some anonymous student complained. She was hauled before her superiors and, in an interview she recorded, she was denounced as a White supremacist and transphobic. She bravely held her ground even when she was advised — incorrectly — that even screening Professor Peterson’s remarks might be illegal. Her future classes would be monitored by her superiors. She held her ground and insisted universities are places for people to explore and debate ideas and that controversy does not create a ‘”toxic” environment. When her recording went viral on the Internet many people rushed to her defence. The thought police at WLU became a laughingstock. Even leftish papers condemned the university’s behaviour.

 

Some Winnipeg Hotels Won’t Let A Controversial Figure Even Rent a Bedroom: Pyongyang on the Prairies

My recent visit to Winnipeg did not end as well. After two well attended and enthusiastic meetings in Victoria and Regina, I arrived in Winnipeg to discover  I had been the subject of a three day smear in the Winnipeg Free Press. I enclose one of these articles. Typical soap opera journalism, the article is full of name calling and denunciation. You’d have no idea what I believe and am presented mostly in the words of anti-free speech activists. I had booked a suite at the Airport Hilton for the meeting, thus, a bedroom. As long as I am sober, orderly and can pay the bill, they cannot deny me lodging. However, I was met by the manager who told me he would not let me enter. He was backed up some  grotesquely fat East Indian who refused to give his name. When asked for reasons, the manager said “circumstances”. I quickly arranged for another location and started contacting my list. About 20 minutes before the meeting, the second hotel manager said he’d spoken to the police and was throwing me out of the hotel. Friends drove me to two more hotels. As soon as I presented my ID, they refused to let me stay. The bald bouncer-like night manager with an ear ring of the Assiniboine  hotel said he “had a bad gut feeling” about me. Clearly, they had been contacted by people high up — we suspect the police — and ordered to violate my civil rights. I am consulting a lawyer and am planning to take action. However, the publicity won us three new supporters who read through the garbage. Because of Donald Trump increasing number of people see the media as liars and purveyors of fake news.

 

Democracy in Ontario:  Uninvited to Testify to Legislative Committee

                On October 10, I learned that the Ontario Legislature was expediting passage of Bill 63 — a draconian measure that would create 150-metre bubble zones  around abortion clinics or abortion providers’ residences. Displaying any sign, slogan even a facial gesture critical of abortion within this zone could result in 6 months in prison or a $10,000 fine. This was definitely a free speech issue, I thought. I called the Legislature and registered for a spot at 2:15 on October 12. That was the only day for the hearings. Meanwhile enemies of free speech and open debate like Warren Kinsella sent protests to the Legislature. The morning of the hearing, the clerk advised me that the committee had voted unanimously — and that included the Tories — NOT to hear me. We circulated our brief anyway.

 

Prior Restraint: Toronto Public Library Bans Victor Fletcher Meeting

            Joining the thought control crew is the Toronto Public Library. They refused to let us book their facilities to host Toronto Street News publisher Victor Fletcher in October. Toronto Street News is a publication that looks at conspiracies and has since 1999. Given the history of the individual and group involved in the booking and the publication being discussed, Library staff believe that the booking could lead to a violation of hate speech legislation and a violation of the provisions of the Library‘s Rules of Conduct. The Library cannot allow its facilities to be used to support such activities and we have, therefore, denied the booking on these grounds.” Libraries have often stood bravely for making controversial views available to the public. Not any more. One can only argue from past behaviour. Neither the meeting’s sponsor nor Mr. Fletcher nor his paper has ever been charged, much less convicted, under Sec. 319 — Canada’s ‘hate’ laws. I will be appearing at the December 11 meeting of the Toronto Library Board as a delegation to protest.

 

YOUR WARD NEWS Postal Ban Review Continues

                The review as to whether Judy Foote had reasonable grounds to issue the Interim  Prohibitory Order, banning YOUR WARD NEWS editor Dr. James Sears and publisher Leroy St. Germaine from sending mail — any mail — in Canada resumes today. CAFE is taking an active role and will continue to do so. On November 2, the Committee issued a series of preliminary rulings. First, they decided that the minister had not provided reasons for her decision. They also ruled they could consider the constitutionality of both the minister’s arbitrary actions and of those sections of the Canada Post Corporation Act itself. More hearings will be held.


 

YOUR WARD NEWS Charged With “Hate”

                After several years of fevered agitation, especially by Jewish censorship groups like the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith and the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, with active assistance from anti-free speech meddlers like Warren Kinsella and Richard Warman, the Moslem Attorney General of Ontario Yasir Naqvi — he comes from a country (Pakistan) that doesn’t much value free speech — laid his second “hate law” charge in six months. The victims this time, Dr. James Sears and Leroy St. Germaine, publisher of YOUR WARD NEWS. This is going to be an important battle and CAFE is already on board as an active participant in the defence. Dr. Sears intends to challenge the constitutionality of Sec. 319 as well. Prune face Canada is actually charging a satirical paper for making people laugh. Our grim guts rulers would fit right in with the tyrants in Pyongyang.

 

                The Evangelist versus the Transgendered: Whatcott Human Rights Tribunal — The Opening Shots

                Across the country in Vancouver the hearing of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal into a complaint by Ronan Auger who says he is transgendered against evangelist Bill Whatcott for critical leaflets he distributed during last May’s provincial election is still in its preliminary stages. We are supporting Mr. Whatcott’s motion to dismiss this complaint as frivolous and petty. CAFE also  supported the successful application of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms to join us as an intervenor supporting Mr. Whatcott’s rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

 

                Indeed, a very busy Fall. All of this takes money and, as always, we must rely on you. Please help Christmas to arrive early for CAFE and send us your most generous support to continue to make all this possible. We are at a dangerous crossroads in Canada with many people speaking out against our suicidal immigration policies and in defence of free speech. But, equally those trying to change our country beyond recognition and impose diversity and special rights for privileged minorities are desperate and dangerous as they try to squelch those who speak up. More than ever, CAFE’s work is vital.

                Merry Christmas! my fellow truth seeker  and friend of free speech,

 

                Paul Fromm, Director

CAFE, Box 332, Rexdale, Ontario, M9W 5L3

___  Here’s my special donation of _____  to help  CAFE fund its interventions in the YOUR WARD NEWS  case (denial of mailing rights and now “hate law” charges).

__   Here’s my donation of ____to help CAFÉ’s support the victims of state censorship, and to produce more timely You Tube videos in this age of Internet alternative media.

__  Please renew my subscription for 2018 to the Free Speech Monitor ($15).

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Laurier university accused of censorship after TA reprimanded for playing gender pronoun debate clip

November 17, 2017 9:27 pm
Updated: November 17, 2017 9:34 pm

Laurier university accused of censorship after TA reprimanded for playing gender pronoun debate clip

Lindsay Shepherd, a graduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University, is speaking out after the school accused her of violating their policies of trans-phobia for playing a TVO segment featuring featuring polarizing University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson.

 A A 

Are all perspectives valid in a debate?

At Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, there are some viewpoints which aren’t.

The question came up after a Lindsay Shepherd, a T.A. and a master’s student, played a controversial YouTube clip during a debate about gender-neutral pronouns in her tutorial.

The clip in question featured University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson, who has famously refused to use gender pronouns other than “he” or “she,” defending his position against a professor who argued it was necessary to use the pronouns that a person prefers to be called.

READ MORE: Classes could resume two days after back-to-work bill passes, colleges say

She was called into a meeting in which Laurier faculty and administration told her that playing the clip without condemnation legitimizes the viewpoint, which they don’t support.

“In a university, all perspectives are valid,” she said in the meeting, which took place at the beginning of November.

“That’s not necessarily true,” a staff member responded.

The meeting, which Shepherd secretly recorded, left her in tears after staff said playing the clip created a toxic environment for transgender students and called her transphobic.

Shepherd defended her position saying she wanted to expose her students to opinions which are in the real world.

“I don’t get how exposing people to the idea makes me transphobic,” Shepherd said in the meeting.

LISTEN: Excerpts from secretly recorded meeting between Wilfrid Laurier University grad student and faculty

Shepherd said the clip of Peterson debating another U of T professor, Nicholas Matte, was meant to demonstrate ways in which the existence of gender-specific pronouns has caused controversy.

Shepherd said she presented the clip of the debate neutrally and without bias, but she was told her approach to the clip was tantamount to remaining neutral on other objectionable views such as those of Adolf Hitler. She was told that she should have provided more background on Peterson’s views, including his connections to the alt-right and Canada’s Rebel Media, and condemned him.

READ MORE: Toronto spa stays silent on pledge for change in policy on transgender customers

“The thing is, when you start off saying ‘This guy sucks don’t listen to anything he says,’ there’s people right there who are not going to say anything, you’ve silenced them,” Shepherd explained.

“I just wanted to open with ‘Any ideas are welcome here.’”

WATCH: Wilfrid Laurier TA says University censored her for showing clip on gender pronouns

While the university said the meeting took place, they didn’t comment on it or respond to a request for interview from Global News. In a statement released by the president and vice-chancellor, Deborah MacLatchy, she said that the university champions “The civil debate of competing ideas, free speech, and freedom of expression.”

“The real question, however, is how do we encourage and implement these fundamental ideals in a world that’s more aware of the importance of inclusivity and yet, at the same time, is growing more polarized?” she wrote in the statement.

Support for Shepherd is growing, with people saying the issue is close to censorship.

“If we as a university really believed in free speech, and if we’d been underlining that all the way along, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but increasingly here at Laurier and at other universities, we are censoring students,” Sociology professor David Haskell told Global News.

He also took exception to the comparison to Hitler, saying people use the argument to “silence others.”

“I see increasingly many of my colleagues using those kind of dramatic comparisons to Hitler, to other totalitarian regimes, but they do it in order to silence others,” he said.

WATCH: Wilfrid Laurier Professor comes to defence of censored TA Lindsay Shepherd

Katherine Fierlbeck, a political science professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, told the Canadian Press that she encourages genuine debate in the classroom.

She said failure to do so not only shortchanges students by leaving them without the skills to think critically in real-life debates, but may also drive those who feel their views are not welcome to seek out more receptive audiences, such as communities of online agitators or active proponents of hate.

Shepherd’s approach of neutrally presenting a debate to prompt further discussion was exemplary, she said, adding it was in keeping with the true spirit of academic freedom.

COMMENTARY: Free speech can’t be a casualty of Canada’s ‘whole-of-government’ approach to Islamophobia

“Some … understand academic freedom to mean that they can say anything about anybody at any time, but that’s certainly not the case,” she said. “It has to be germane to your area, and there has to be a good reason offered for what you are doing.”

Shepherd now has to put forth her lesson plans to her supervisor before her tutorials, and faculty members will be monitoring her lesson plans going forward.

*With files from the Canadian Press