Law Matters John Carpay In Canada today, if you want to shut down the conference, rally or speaking engagement of someone whose opinion you disagree with, all you need to do to is accuse your opponent of being far right, racist, fascist, white supremacist, Islamophobic, or homophobic. The accusations need not be true, as long as they are shocking and [...]
Law Matters John Carpay In a free country, should a religious group be able to determine its own membership criteria? Or should judges have the power to impose their opinions about whether someone meets religious requirements? The Supreme Court of Canada will soon consider this question, raised by Randy Wall, who challenged his expulsion from a Calgary congregation of Jehovah’s [...]
Law Matters John Carpay I’m only 49, but I remember when socialists still respected religious freedom, free speech, and freedom of association. I remember when the Left, advancing its case for bigger government and the forced redistribution of income, appealed to facts and logic. The Left opposed economic liberty, and while that is no small thing, the Left was otherwise [...]
Law Matters John Carpay Rachel Dolezal made headlines in 2015 after she was exposed as a white woman who had been representing herself as black for many years. Dolezal was removed as head of the Spokane chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and kicked off a police ombudsman commission. She also lost her job teaching [...]
Patrick Deane Patrick Deane, president of McMaster University in Hamilton, has joined other Canadian university presidents in silencing the debate of controversial ideas on campus. University of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson was invited to speak at McMaster on March 17, about freedom of speech and political correctness. Peterson has gained national – and even international – notoriety for his [...]
Law Matters John Carpay Like homophobia, Islamophobia is a dangerous word. Both words are dangerous because they are ambiguous. Uncertainty about the meaning of words makes it impossible to have honest discussion and debate. Without honest debate, democracy and society function poorly. Undermining the citizen’s ability to communicate with others results in misunderstanding and fear. Dictionaries define “phobia” as “an [...]
Law Matters John Carpay Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) tries to ban pro-life expression whenever it can. ASC is a non-government body composed of advertisers, large corporations, law firms, the CBC, Toronto Star, and Globe and Mail. ASC thinks it is qualified to determine what is “true, fair and accurate” when it comes to controversial issues like abortion. ASC rulings are [...]