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Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom Offers Representation
$5,000 Pledged To Pay Legal Costs
The above six minute video clip was not included in the first link I published earlier to the Sun media report commenting on City Councils May 5th decision to cancel the Leadercast simulcast.
John Carpay of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom says they are in discussion with people from Nanaimo who may be interested in mounting a court challenge to the Nanaimo city council motion.
Ezra Levant pledged to raise $5,000 to support the legal challenge, should a plaintiff step forward.
bad bad BAD sensationalism! Sun News is terrible.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Coun. Pattje's re-election bid is doomed.
ReplyDeleteHe should never have made the motion to evict a group's legal freedom rights to gather - at a convention centre that needs to make money.
Would you accept a convention sponsored by the Klu Klux Clan? The sponsors have attempted to overturn the Human Rights Act protected rights of a group based on their identity. Ezra Levant and Sun are the worst example of extremist media in Canada, as evidenced by their spin that Nanaimo banned Christians. Levant appears to pass up no opportunity to foment division and undermine progressive Canadian values. He seems determined to "Americanize" Canadian politics and social discourse to the detriment of all of us. Free speech is not without responsibility and the sponsors of that convention who have attacked the rights of Canadians now, ironically, challenge the decision of Council by invoking rights protected under the same act. This is a sad perversion of the intent of our Charter. Do Christians feel comfortable being identified alongside the bigoted sponsors? I suspect that those who object to the decision of Council have never been chased down an alley or beaten in a school yard because of who they are. Kudos to the City Council of Nanaimo.
ReplyDeleteDoug: Would appreciate it if you could outline the facts, as you understand them, beginning from when Coun. Pattje made the last-minute motion at a committee of the whole meeting in May. From what I have read through social media, (am reading it from out-of-province at present), it appears that there is a real need for all who are commenting to have ALL of the relevant facts. :)
DeleteThanks! Janet
The is the best synopsis of the whole story that I have seen.
Deletehttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/06/25/shocking-bigotry-outrage-follows-city-councils-decision-to-ban-event-because-of-chick-fil-a/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=ShareButtons
So let me get this straight, the city council speech police ban free speech dictating its speech is the only corrrect form of speech?
ReplyDeleteGet your facts straight before you make assumptions which become your conclusions.
DeleteI don't think people have the facts:
ReplyDeleteLeaderCast (which is the event which was cancelled at the VICC) is sponsored by Chick-Fil-A, which is known for being Anti-LGBT. Like Mr. Routley said, would you like if an event was being held at the VICC which was sponsored by the KKK? How about the Westboro Baptist Church or the Neo Nazi movement? These groups promote hate, inequality and intolerance. Don't be guided by the fact that the "Christian" label means it's good. The Westboro Baptist Church stand on the platform of Christianity and they are pure hatred.
Furthermore, this show is nothing more than sensationalism, merely to fuel up angry viewers. Angry viewers become more viewers, which means $$$.
In the first minute of the video, Levante says "your tax dollars". No, not their tax dollars in Toronto or Ontario, which the show is geared towards. My tax dollars as a citizen of Nanaimo. This affects ME, not someone in Toronto. But those statements merely fuel the fire that he and his producers start.
I believe our city council does a lot of things wrong. However, it would be unfair of me to simply ignore when they do things right. I am PROUD that they shut the doors on this particular event.
Cinnabar, in all respect, can you direct me to your sources? Your connection to the group putting on the Leadercast event being something like the KKK, or Neo Nazi movement, calls into question your understanding of the Leadercast event., Suggesting this group promotes hate, inequality and intolerance would seem to go against the facts as I have found them.
ReplyDeleteI hope you also realize that what your city council chose to do is totally contrary to our Charter and is totally unconstitutional, as evidenced by the city's most recent press release on the matter.
They have single handedly blackened the eye of Nanaimo and have demonstrated the exact thing they said they were opposing. Only now, they checked with lawyers and have discovered their motion was completely out of order on every level.
I do not question the Leadercast event itself. It is the sponsorship tied to the event. I do not think you can separate the two.
DeleteThe KKK hypothetical obviously. While I don't disagree necessarily that this is not constitutional, I also don't feel we would be barking about "rights" if something much more offensive (example: KKK) were to hold or sponsor an event at the VICC then cancelled by city council.
And to be frank, if you are concerned over constitutional rights, I have not seen one piece on your blog about FATCA, which violates over a million Canadians (and many residents in Nanaimo) privacy and constitutional rights. Or is this simply another example of our selective approach to what we will and won't get upset about?
I could find nothing that indicates that Chic Fila takes a stand on anything political. I did find that they made a statement a couple of years ago backing away from politics. The owner of the company, did say some years ago he supports the traditional view of marriage. That is his right to hold that view, I don't have to agree with him, but he has never been charged with hate speech or any such thing, so I have to assume he simply holds the traditional view of marriage, which is shared by most other religions and is not only a Christian stance. I may not agree with him, but I sure don't want my government saying he can't express that opinion.
DeleteI do have a problem with your statement that you don't disagree necessarily that this is not constitutional................. does that mean it is OK for some to ignore the constitution?
The city has acknowledged they make a mistake, and have said it would not happen again.
As for your reference to FATCA...... I have no idea what you are referring to.
FATCA: look it up but basically the federal government is stepping on the constitutional rights of over 1 million Canadian citizens. My point being that people stand on soap boxes preaching constitutional violations when it happens other times, people say nothing. It seems that the constitutional rights of everyone only matters to someone when it affects them in some way.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, we're all educated adults. This has become something beyond debate. Not worthwhile to continue this on my end.