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October 8, 2010 | ARPA Canada

Sample Letter #1 Sample Letter #1 Dear Honourable [Name of MP] Thank you very much for your ongoing service for this riding. Recently I have been made aware of the Canadian Human Rights Commission and how it has been consistently undermining the fundamental freedoms that are listed in Section 2b of our Charter. You will agree that the freedom to speak, believe, and assemble are some of the important pillars of this nation.

And yet when these freedoms clash with the so-called “rights” that are being held to by the CHRC, a common outcome is that these new “rights” trump the basic freedoms. As a result, the CHRC has become a favourite place for activists to pursue their agendas by instigating complaints against practices that they simply don’t like. Consider these facts:

  1. The Tribunals do not have to abide by the long-standing rules of justice that are the norm in our court system. The due process of law is ignored, evidence can be based on hear-say, and hurt feelings are enough to find someone guilty of inciting hatred. Regular legal defences of truth, fair comment, and lack of intent to harm don’t apply in the HRC’s.
  2. With this kind of criteria, it isn’t too much of a surprise that for 32 years the Canadian Human Rights Commission had a 100% conviction rate for all Section 13 cases brought before it. That finally ended when it was declared unconstitutional in 2009.
  3. The HRC complaint process has itself become a favourite tool of activists to silence and bankrupt their political enemies. If a case is accepted, the complainant does not have to pay any of the costs, even if they lose the case. On the other hand, the defendant must cover all of their own legal expenses, even if they win. Simply being brought before a HRC is a significant penalty.
  4. Human Rights Commissions have actively sought complaints of borderline legitimacy in order to increase their workload. CHRC staff have also stated that they post their own online comments on anti-Semitic and racist forums to find and entrap others.
  5. The Commissions actively lobby parliament to create more civil rights that further restrict our fundamental rights. Some have even gone so far as to use their policy-making powers to “read in” new rights into the provincial human rights codes.
  6. The Commissions have more investigative powers than the police. The Commissions have no procedures or safeguards to ensure that their investigations are carried out in a proper and ethical manner.
  7. There is no complaint mechanism by which the Commission and its staff can be held to account. In the face of widespread public criticism, the Canadian HRC hand-picked their own expert and paid him $50,000 to review their practices. This back-fired when the investigator himself concluded that the censorship powers of the CHRC had to be removed. The CHRC has ignored this report and continues its censorship unabated.

I don’t understand how these things can continue. It was good to hear that the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights started an inquiry into these practices of the CHRC in the last Parliament. I urge you to reengage the discussion in Parliament so that some significant changes are made and our fundamental freedoms are upheld.

Please let me know what you can do to address this matter.

Sincerely,

 

Sample Letter #2

Dear Mr./Mrs.

I’m very grateful for the freedoms that we have in this country and for your role in keeping our land free. But I am concerned with the lack of action by our leaders in response to the censorship by means of the federal and provincial Human Rights Commissions. Some of the original intentions for a human rights commission may have been good, but there is little debate about the fact that these quasi-judicial bodies have taken on a completely different role and have become tools in the hands of activists to silence any opposition to their political agenda.

As you may be aware, the commissions and tribunals do not have to abide by the long-standing rules of justice that are the norm in our court system. The due process of law is ignored, evidence can be based on hear-say, and hurt feelings are enough to find someone guilty of inciting hatred. Regular legal defences of truth, fair comment, and lack of intent to harm don’t apply in the HRC’s. With this kind of criteria, it isn’t too much of a surprise that for 32 years the Canadian Human Rights Commission has had a 100% conviction rate for all prosecutions. That finally ended when it was declared unconstitutional in 2009.

There are many people calling for changes to the power of this commission, or even for its complete removal. Former Liberal MP Keith Martin had a Private Member’s Motion (M-153) that asked for the removal of Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which has been responsible for much of the censorship. Even the CHRC’s own investigation into its actions, by Richard Moon, concluded that Section 13 should be repealed. It wasn’t long ago that the Justice Committee began an examination into the CHRC’s conduct. Sadly, in spite of the public outcry against the HRC, our legislators are doing little to curtail or remove it.

I realize that taking actions against a body that goes under the name of human rights may not be the most politically correct thing to do. But the inaction is coming at the cost of our basic freedoms. I urge you to please do what you can to rein this bureaucracy in. I would like to see the commissions and tribunals, along with the Human Rights Act, removed completely as there are already sufficient avenues of help for people facing discrimination or hate. But even reform of the commission’s powers would be greatly appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

[Name]

Sample Letter #3

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms

This is just a quick note to ask that you please check out a new campaign that is geared towards protecting the fundamental freedoms of Canadians in light of the actions of the country’s Human Rights Commissions and Tribunals. The campaign website is www.HumanRightsCommissions.ca.

You are probably aware that this issue has resonated with the grassroots as most major newspapers have written editorials against the abuse of authority by these quasi-judicial bodies. When people are made aware of what is going on, they are always shocked at the lack of action by our legislators.

This is the type of issue where siginficant changes can be made if only brave leaders stand up on principle. I am confident that you will receive a lot of support if you take up this issue. Leaders from a spectrum of parties have spoken out already and both Alberta and Saskatchewan have indicated that they plan to begin reforms of the commissions in their provinces.

I look forward to hearing what you think of the website and what you can do to keep this land free.

Sincerely,

 

Sample Letter #4

Dear Honourable

Please note that I am one more constituent who strongly supports the abolishment of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. If you are looking for reasons why, please check out www.HumanRightsCommissions.ca, a quality and reasoned site that explores both the problems of the CHRC and the options available for legislators to take.

Sincerely,

 

Sample Letter #5

Dear Honourable

Please note that I am one more constituent who strongly supports reforming the Canadian Human Rights Commission by getting rid of Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Code. Private Member’s Motion 153 is requesting this as well. If you are looking for reasons why action needs to be taken, please check out www.HumanRightsCommissions.ca, a quality and reasoned site that explores both the problems of the CHRC and the options available for legislators to take.

Sincerely

Human Rights Commission Email Us 

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