Media Awakens To Human Rights Insanity

Although the Canadian public has become aware of the intolerance, bias and dictatorial powers of Human Rights Commissions, our generally liberal-leaning media have been much slower in understanding this point. It wasn't until they themselves were charged with human rights violations by these Commissions that they began to see the light. (See reprint on p. ............ of the article by Anthony Keller, associate editor, editorial board, Globe and Mail, dated January 11, 1999, on the harrowing tales of woe experienced by Alberta Report, the North Shore News, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix and, for heaven's sake, the Toronto Star, that particular bastion of political correctness.) All have been slammed as a result of a Human Rights Commission investigation. Suddenly, thoughtful and critical editorials questioning the validity of Human Rights Tribunals have been filling our newspapers. These editorials are long overdue.

Notwithstanding the newspaper editorials, the human rights machinery has continued to keep beating away in the heart of our nation, stripping away more and more of our rights. Fortunately, however, the Federal Court is aware of the deep-seated flaws in these tribunals. It has already thrown out three human rights tribunals rulings this past year because of their bias and "impoverished understanding" of the law. In fact, since 1996, the Federal Court has overturned 11 decisions of the federal tribunals on 19 appeals because of their errors in interpreting the law. For example, in December, Madame Justice Danièle Tremblay-Lamer of the Federal Court threw out, as biased, a 10-year old sexual harassment and age discrimination case against the CBC by a former TV news anchor. The news anchor, Leila Paul, had complained that a younger woman was chosen to anchor a late-night newscast and that she had been sexually harassed by the executive producer. The judge pointed out that the Human Rights Tribunal in reaching its decision had "overlooked" significant facts, such as the fact that Ms. Paul didn't even make the short list for the job, had received poor performance ratings and that the people interviewed didn't believe her age or sex was a factor.

The government of the North West Territories announced in December that it is bringing a pay equity case before the Federal Court arguing that the federal Human Rights Commission is fundamentally unfair, inherently biased and lacking in independence in that the commission serves both as a policeman, prosecutor and judge of a complaint.

The National Post, in an editorial on December 3, 1998, stated:

The commission's prosecutorial role should be abolished, and it should be restricted to education, conciliation and mediation. And the tribunals need to be subject to the same rules of evidence as the courts. In which case, why not handle stubborn cases and litigants in the branch of government that knows them best -- namely, the courts.

In another editorial dated December 31, 1998, the National Post stated:

Yet the court system may be just cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming as the CHRC. But at least Canadians can be confident in its impartiality and respect for the rule of law -- and they are important human rights.

REAL Women heartily endorses such views.

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