Freedom of Expression UpdateWednesday, May 30, 2007
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION UPDATE An Annual Summary Prepared for the BPC's Freedom of Expression Committee BOOKSTORES Indigo Books and Music [July 6, 2006] Indigo Books and Music, Canada's largest book and magazine retailer, declared that it had accidentally dropped the June-July issue of Free Inquiry, a small magazine published in the United States. Joel Silver, Indigo's senior vice-president of print procurement, apologized to Tom Flynn, Free Inquiry's editor, for the accident and pledged to sell the issue. Earlier in the week, however, Flynn said that Indigo had refused to stock the June-July issue without giving him a reason. Flynn also said that Indigo and its subsidiary companies would inspect future issues to determine [their] suitability for sale.[1] The June-July issue of Free Inquiry contained an essay by Peter Singer, a professor at Princeton University, entitled "The Freedom to Ridicule Religion-and Deny the Holocaust." [May 21-27, 2006] Indigo withdrew the June issue of Harper's from newsstands. The American magazine had reproduced all 12 of the cartoons about the Muslim prophet Mohammed that had appeared in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten on Sept. 30, 2005. Harper's had also published a critical essay by Art Spiegelman-the author of Maus — about controversial cartoons. On May 26, Indigo instructed its managers by e-mail on how to respond "if customers question Indigo's censorship" of Harper's: ". . . the content about to be published has been known to ignite demonstrations around the world. Indigo [and its subsidiaries] Chapters and Coles will not carry this particular issue of the magazine but will continue to carry other issues of this publication in the future." Indigo stocks as many as 3,000 copies of Harper's each month.[2] (For more news about booksellers, see the entries for Serge et Réal libraires below and Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium below.) CANADA CUSTOMS Serge et Réal libraires [Mar. 17, 2007] In Montreal, Serge et Réal libraires, a bookstore that caters to gay and lesbian readers, received a message from H&O éditions in France. H&O éditions said that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) was seizing publications with "pornographic" and "incestuous" themes and that H&O éditions would no longer ship the following adult comics to the bookstore:
But H&O éditions pledged to ship other publications to Serge et Réal libraires. Lost Girls [Oct. 27, 2006] The CBSA authorized the importation of Lost Girls by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie into Canada.[3] Lost Girls is a graphic novel that depicts the erotic adventures of Alice (of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Wendy (of Peter Pan) and Dorothy (of The Wizard of Oz) in Europe before the First World War. The CBSA had detained the book as potentially obscene. Cherry [Aug. 7, 2006] The CBSA seized copies of Cherry, a novel written by British author Charlotte Cooper. At least two bookstores in British Columbia — Bleeding Rose in Victoria and Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium in Vancouver — were importing the novel. The CBSA said that Cherry, which depicts the sexual adventures of a lesbian in London, was obscene. COURTS Paul Bryan [Mar. 15, 2007] In a 5-4 decision, the justices of the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a provision in the Canada Elections Act that bars the news media from reporting early vote results to Canadians while polling stations remain open. The court upheld this provision to prevent the publication of early vote results from influencing voters in Western Canada. This provision had been challenged by Paul Bryan, a software developer in British Columbia. During the federal election of 2000, Bryan posted vote totals from Atlantic Canada while the polls were still open in Western Canada. He was subsequently fined $1,000. Bryan appealed the fine, saying that the temporary ban on reporting vote results violated the guarantee of free speech in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Bryan also said that the ban was unenforceable in an age of instantaneous electronic communication. Derek Finkle [Feb. 19, 2007] In Toronto, the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario accepted three affidavits from writers' organizations to help quash a subpoena issued to Derek Finkle, a journalist. The organizations are the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) and The Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC).[4] The subpoena requires Finkle to turn over his research on the Robert Baltovich-Elizabeth Bain murder case to the Crown. The research, which Finkle used to write a book, includes Finkle's interviews with Baltovich, Baltovich's prison journals and Finkle's confidential interviews with lawyers. The Crown seeks new evidence that Baltovich committed a murder. Finkle seeks to prevent the Crown from gaining access to his research and to protect his journalistic independence from the state. The intervening writers' organizations support Finkle. In 1990, Baltovich's girlfriend, Elizabeth Bain, disappeared and was never seen again. In 1992, Baltovich was convicted of Bain's murder. He spent eight years in prison. In 1998, Finkle published No Claim to Mercy which criticized the police investigation and prosecution and suggested that Baltovich did not commit the murder. In 2000, after his lawyers presented new evidence which cast doubt on Baltovich's responsibility for the crime, Baltovich was released from prison on bail. Baltovich's new trial should begin in September 2007. Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium [Jan. 19, 2007] In a 7-2 ruling, the justices of the Supreme Court of Canada denied Little Sister's, a bookstore in Vancouver, public funds to continue its lawsuit against the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The bookstore's case against the CBSA's censorship powers lacked enough public importance to merit the awarding of advance funds, the court said. In the wake of the decision and without enough money to continue, Little Sister's abandoned its legal fight against the CBSA. Joe Arvay, the bookstore's lawyer, declared: "The case is dead." The current legal dispute between Little Sister's and the government began in 2001 when Customs officials seized copies of a graphic novel called Meatmen. Customs officials claimed that the fictional publication, which features images of homosexual sado-masochism, violated Canada's ban on sexual obscenity. Little Sister's claimed that the government was ignoring a previous ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada to stop singling out and detaining Little Sister's imported publications with homosexual themes.[5] Customs officials have detained, turned back and destroyed numerous publications imported by Little Sister's since 1986. Action: PEN Canada released a statement entitled "Supreme Court of Canada's Ruling Against Little Sister's Bookstore a Blow to Free Expression, PEN Canada Says" on Jan. 25, 2007. Francois Lemieux [Dec. 21, 2006] Parliamentary privilege, which protects the speech of politicians in the House of Commons from lawsuits, does not extend to remarks that politicians publish in their quarterly householder brochures, declared Justice Francois Lemieux of the Federal Court of Canada. Members of Parliament accused of publishing "discriminatory remarks" in their householder brochures may be investigated by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the judge said. The ruling is the latest in a dispute between Jim Pankiw, the former Canadian Alliance MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt, and several people who claim that Pankiw published bigoted statements about aboriginal Canadians in a householder brochure in 2003.[6] Juliet O'Neill [Oct. 19, 2006] In Ottawa, Madam Justice Lynn Ratushny of Ontario's Superior Court of Justice struck down three sections of the Security of Information Act. She also quashed warrants used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to search the home and office of Juliet O'Neill, a reporter for the Ottawa Citizen, in 2004. Ratushny's ruling freed O'Neill from Crown prosecution for relying on an anonymous government informant and a leaked classified document to write a news story about Maher Arar in 2003. In 2002, the RCMP suspected Arar — a Syrian-born Canadian citizen — of having ties to al-Qaeda. On Sept. 26, 2002, while in an airport in New York, Arar was detained by U.S. authorities and deported to Syria. In Syria, Arar was imprisoned for more than a year and tortured. On Nov. 8, 2003, O'Neill wrote a news story in the Ottawa Citizen about the RCMP, Arar and the Syrians. On Jan. 21, 2004, the RCMP raided O'Neill's home and office to discover the name of the government employee who had supplied O'Neill with the information for her story. Action: TWUC published an open letter to federal Justice Minister Vic Toews on Oct. 30, 2006. The letter urged him to let Ratushny's decision stand. On Nov. 3, 2006, Toews announced his decision not to appeal. Reni Sentana-Ries [Sept. 1, 2006] In Edmonton, Justice Philip Clarke of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench sentenced Reni Sentana-Ries to 16 months in prison for promoting anti-Semitism on a Web site. Clarke also prohibited Sentana-Ries from using the Internet for 36 months and ordered the Web site shut down. Sentana-Ries — who styled himself the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and named his Web site The Federation of Free Planets — blamed Jews for fabricating the Holocaust, creating the deadly AIDS and Ebola viruses, and destroying the World Trade Center and space shuttle Columbia. Sentana-Ries claimed that Jews sought world domination. The 16-month sentence is the longest ever imposed in Canada for promoting race hatred on a Web site. Tomasz Winnicki [July 13, 2006] Police arrested and jailed Tomasz Winnicki, a white supremacist in Ontario, for contempt of court. Winnicki had ignored an order of the Federal Court of Canada to stop using the Internet to spread race hatred.[7] Winnicki subsequently received nine months in prison. David Ahenakew [June 8, 2006] In Saskatchewan, Chief Justice Robert Laing of the Court of Queen's Bench overturned David Ahenakew's conviction for wilfully promoting hatred. Laing declared that the trial judge did not properly assess whether Ahenakew intended to commit a hate crime. Laing ordered a new trial. Ahenakew, a former head of the Assembly of First Nations and a member of the Order of Canada, was convicted on July 8, 2005, for uttering a diatribe against Jews. On Dec. 13, 2002, Ahenakew said at a public gathering that Jews were "a disease" and suggested that the Holocaust in World War II was justified. The Governor General's office subsequently revoked Ahenakew's membership in the Order of Canada. Hugh Owens [Apr. 13, 2006] Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal ruled that Hugh Owens, a Christian, did not violate the province's human rights code when he placed an anti-gay ad in Saskatoon's StarPhoenix in 1997.[8] The Court of Appeal vindicated Owens's claim that he was exercising his right to religious expression. In 2001, a board of inquiry of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission had fined Owens and the newspaper for exposing gays and lesbians to contempt. HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNALS Glenn David Bahr [Dec. 1, 2006] A tribunal of the Canadian Human Rights Commission ruled that Glenn David Bahr, a resident of Edmonton and the founder of a group called Western Canada for Us, was guilty of promoting hatred on the Internet. The tribunal found that Bahr's Web site, also called Western Canada for Us, spread hatred against Jews, aboriginal people, homosexuals, Chinese people, Arabs, blacks and mentally handicapped people. The tribunal fined Bahr and Western Canada for Us $5,000 each and ordered both to stop posting hateful messages on the Internet. Valerie Smith [Sept. 26, 2006] In Toronto, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) decided against having a tribunal hear a complaint about the sale of "hate rap" in music stores. The OHRC declared that insufficient evidence existed for a tribunal to determine whether the complainant, Valerie Smith, had suffered gender discrimination at the hands of HMV Canada. On Sept. 15, 2005, Smith complained to the OHRC to try to prevent HMV Canada from selling "hate rap" — music that refers to women as "hoes" and "bitches" by performers such as 50 Cent, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z. Smith alleged that the lyrics promote violence against women and contravene the OHRC's policy against sexual harassment and gender-related comments.[9] Dossier Noir [Aug. 14-18, 2006] In Montreal, the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations complained to the police and the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) about a Web site called Dossier Noir. The Web site provides the details of crimes that involve black suspects in Quebec. Dossier Noir also posts the names, addresses and phone numbers of black criminal suspects. The CHRC agreed to investigate the Web site. LEGISLATION Borys Wrzesnewskyj [Apr. 19, 2007] In the House of Commons, Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj introduced Bill C-254. Wrzesnewskyj wants to add women and girls to the groups of people protected by the Criminal Code from public incitement to hatred. The law currently protects groups of people identified by colour, race, religion, ethnic origin and sexual orientation. In 2005, Wrzesnewskyj introduced a similar amendment, but it was not enacted into law. Joy Smith [Apr. 18, 2007] In the House of Commons, Conservative MP Joy Smith introduced Bill C-427 (The Clean Internet Act). The bill would grant the minister of industry the authority to order Internet service providers (ISPs) to censor Web sites that promote violence against women, child pornography and racial hatred. The minister would acquire the authority to order searches of data systems. Bill C-427 would authorize the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to license all ISPs. The bill would also require ISPs to deny service to convicted offenders. The executives of ISPs who failed to comply with ministerial orders would face possible imprisonment. House Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security [Mar. 27, 2007] In the House of Commons, the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security recommended that Parliament criminalize the glorification of terrorism. The recommendation is one of 60 in the committee's final report on the Anti-Terrorism Act. Conservative and Liberal members of the committee supported the report, but New Democrat Joe Comartin and Bloc Qu éb écois MP Serge M énard criticized aspects of the report. The dissenting committee members suspect that the criminalization of the glorification of terrorism could hurt free speech and a free press. Maxime Bernier [Mar. 2, 2007] In the House of Commons, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier introduced legislation to give the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and its sponsors the authority to stop unauthorized businesses from making money from Olympic brands. Bill C-47 would place trademark protection on common words such as "Vancouver," "winter," "games," "gold," "silver," "bronze," "medals," "21st," "2010," "sponsor" and others. The bill aims at discouraging ambush marketing campaigns — sports-themed advertising during the Olympics by companies that are not official Olympic sponsors. The legislation, if passed, would not affect journalists. The law would expire at the end of 2010.[10] Murray Scott [Nov. 23, 2006] In Nova Scotia, the provincial government's Act Respect-ing the Profits of Criminal Notoriety received royal assent. The new law aims to prevent criminals from making money by recounting their crimes in books, magazines or movies. Minister of Justice Murray Scott introduced the proposal as Bill 17 to Nova Scotia's legislature on June 30, 2006. The subsequent passage of the bill into law got almost no press coverage. Action: On Nov. 7, 2006, Harry Thurston of TWUC addressed the Law Amendments Committee of Nova Scotia's legislature. He criticized Bill 17 as an infringement of free expression rights in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also warned that writers who were wrongly convicted of crimes or merely charged with offences would be prevented from revealing miscarriages of justice in Nova Scotia. Thurston cited Guy Paul Morin, David Milgaard, Donald Marshall and Dr. Martin Luther King as examples of wrongly imprisoned men who later told their stories in books.[11] On Nov. 7, 2006, TWUC also released a statement entitled "'Son of Sam' Bill May Impede Crime Prevention, Writers Say." Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications [June 21, 2006] In Ottawa, the Canadian Senate's Standing Committee on Transport and Communications released its Final Report on the Canadian News Media. The two-volume report, which was the result of more than three years of study, said that in some parts of Canada "the concentration of ownership [of the media] has reached levels that few other countries would consider acceptable."[12] The report's summary said:
The report recommended that the federal government reform the Competition Act LIBRARIES Antonia Samek [Mar. 2, 2007] In Edmonton, Antonia (Toni) Samek e-mailed the final results of a survey about challenged publications in Canadian libraries to members of the Canadian Library Association (CLA) and to Franklin Carter of the BPC's Freedom of Expression Committee. The survey, which is entitled Tracking Challenged Resources in Canadian Libraries, reported challenges to publications in 2006. The CLA's Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom created the survey and intends to conduct similar surveys annually in the future.[14] Green Arrow: Quiver [Dec. 18, 2006] In Alberta, a patron of the Edmonton Public Library complained about Green Arrow: Quiver by Kevin Smith and Phil Hester. The book is a graphic novel about a superhero named Green Arrow; the patron said the work was inappropriate for young readers. A librarian characterized the patron's complaint in these words: "Graphic depiction/description of violent child abuse. The book is very well written and entertaining and clever. It is just the ending, with a villain that is a demon-worshiping Satanist that kidnaps, tortures and murders children-it crosses the line." The Edmonton Public Library reclassified Green Arrow: Quiver as adult fiction. Survivor [2006] In Ontario, a patron of the Kitchener Public Library (KPL) complained about Survivor by J.F. Gonzalez. The book is adult fiction in the horror genre; the patron objected to depictions of violence and sexual violence in the text. The KPL removed copies of Survivor from community libraries in one public school and one Roman Catholic school, but the KPL retained the novel in all its other libraries. Canadian Librarians [2006] Several Canadian university and college libraries switched from using servers in the United States to using a server at the University of Toronto to protect the privacy of Canadian scholars who research information in U.S. computer databases. Canadian librarians learned that the U.S. government secretly monitors the on-line searches of people who look for information in U.S. databases such as RefWorks.[15] The U.S. government secretly monitors on-line research to detect terrorists; the U.S. government's authority for monitoring on-line research stems from the USA PATRIOT Act. In 2006, Canadian institutions such as Memorial University in St. John's, Dalhousie University in Halifax and the University of Alberta in Edmonton switched to Canadian servers. MAGAZINE PUBLISHING BlackFlash [November 2006] In Saskatoon, the editors of BlackFlash, an art magazine, decided to publish a story called "The Last Taboo: Child Sexuality and Censorship" in their fall issue but withdrew seven accompanying pictures to avoid violating Canada's Child Pornography Act. The editors pulled reproductions of two 19th-century paintings, four photographs — including one created by Victorian artist Charles Dodgson and another created in 1991 by Robert Mapplethorpe — and a Calvin Klein ad from 1995. The magazine appeared two months late because the publisher had difficulty finding a printer willing to risk violating the Child Pornography Act. The debate over the article and images also prompted four members of BlackFlash's board of directors to resign. The Prophetic Word [Oct. 26, 2006] In Vancouver, 60 unionized postal workers refused to deliver a booklet published by the Fundamental Baptist Mission of Waterford, Ontario. The publication, called The Prophetic Word, carried a front-page story entitled "The Plague of the 21st Century: The Consequences of the Sin of Homosexuality (AIDS)." The postal workers described the booklet as "homophobic" and as "hate literature." But Lillian Au, a spokesperson for the Crown corporation, said Canada Post may not censor the mail. The booklet was eventually delivered to Vancouver homes.[16] NEWS AGENCIES Jawaad Faizi [Apr. 17, 2007] In Mississauga, Ontario, two men assaulted Jawaad Faizi, a reporter for The Pakistan Post, as he was sitting in his car outside the home of his newspaper editor. Using a cricket bat, the attackers smashed the windows and windshield of Faizi's car. They shouted profanities in Urdu and Punjabi, and they warned Faizi to stop "writing against Islam." Faizi suffered cuts and bruises as well as an injury to his left arm before the attackers fled. Police are investigating. Faizi started receiving threats in January 2007 after he had written about a lecture given by a Pakistani cleric, Allama Tahir-Ul-Qadri. Ul-Qadri is the leader of an international Muslim group called Idara Minhaj-ul-Quran. Two weeks before the attack, Faizi wrote a critical column based on reports from Pakistan about Ul-Qadri's claim to be able to write the Muslim prophet Mohammed's name on the moon. Faizi received more threats and accusations of apostasy as well. He fears for his safety and the safety of his family. Richard Bronstein [Mar. 9, 2007] Before a Muslim audience in Calgary, Richard Bronstein, the publisher of the Jewish Free Press, defended his decision to reprint some of the Danish cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed in February 2006.[17] But Bronstein acknowledged that his decision did not come easily. "While I feel that it was legally and journalistically correct and permissible to cover that story . . . even to this day, I still feel a moral question about whether it was the right thing to do," said Bronstein to applause. "The reason I did is because those who were opposed said, 'You have no right to publish it.'" Yann Martel [Mar. 1, 2007] During Freedom to Read Week, CBC Radio in Saskatchewan prevented author Yann Martel from reading Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf on the air. CBC Radio had invited Martel to talk about a challenged or banned book on The Afternoon Edition. Martel chose to talk about and read from Mein Kampf because of the book's historical importance and because, he said, "The best way to deal with evil is to address it . . . not to ignore it." Half an hour before the broadcast, however, Martel was told that he couldn't read Mein Kampf on the air. During the broadcast, Martel discussed the book with his CBC host for more than 12 minutes.[18] Capital Xtra [Feb. 24, 2007] In Ottawa, the Hunt Club-Riverside community centre removed all copies of Capital Xtra, a newspaper for gay and lesbian readers, after a father complained to City Councillor Maria McRae about the newspaper's sex ads. The action prompted Gareth Kirkby, Capital Xtra's associate publisher and managing editor, to demand the return of the newspaper to the community centre. Ottawa City Council also debated whether every municipal building had to display Capital Xtra. Update: By mid-March, copies of Capital Xtra were again available in the Hunt Club-Riverside community centre. On Apr. 10, 2007, lawyers advised city councillors that the courts would probably reject as illegal any attempt to limit the availability of Capital Xtra in community centres. Censor This! [Feb. 18, 2007] CBC Radio launched Censor This!, a week-long series of news stories and documentaries about censorship around the world. One feature focused on Deborah Ellis's Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak. In 2006, several school boards in Ontario denied access to this book to students below Grade 7 because the Canadian Jewish Congress–Ontario Region objected to the book. Action: On Feb. 23, 2007, CBC Radio journalists across Canada interviewed Ron Brown of TWUC and Franklin Carter of the BPC's Freedom of Expression Committee about contemporary book and magazine challenges in Canada. Brown's interviews were broadcast to Calgary, Ottawa, Quebec City, Thunder Bay, Whitehorse and Yellowknife. Carter's interviews were broadcast to Goose Bay, Ontario outside Toronto (including Windsor), Regina, Sudbury, Victoria and Winnipeg. A few days later, a private radio station in Saskatoon also interviewed Carter. SCHOOLS Snow Falling on Cedars [Feb. 5, 2007] In Ontario, a review committee of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board decided to return copies of Snow Falling on Cedars, a novel by David Guterson, to Grade 11 English classes and high school libraries. In December, the board had pulled the novel from bookshelves after a school trustee had received an anonymous letter of complaint about the book's sexual content.[19] And Tango Makes Three [Dec. 20, 2006] In Alberta, a parent complained about the use of And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson in the Calgary Catholic School District. The picture book, which is aimed at very young readers, tells the story of two male penguins raising a baby penguin in a zoo. On religious grounds, the parent objected to the theme of homosexual parenting. The school library asked the district's religious education office for a review of And Tango Makes Three. In the end, the library removed the book from its collection. David Bernans [Sept. 11, 2006] In Montreal, David Bernans, author of North of 9/11, read from his novel to about 30 people at the Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore. The event capped a dispute between Bernans and Concordia University over whether Bernans had permission to read his novel on the university's campus. According to Bernans, he applied for permission in June 2006 to read at Concordia. He received, and then was denied, permission to read on campus from the university's risk assessment committee. He said that he received no explanation for the cancelled booking. According to Michael Di Grappa, a university vice-president, the cancelled booking was a mistake, and the risk assessment committee never even discussed Bernans's request. On Sept. 5, 2006, Di Grappa invited Bernans to read at Concordia; Bernans chose instead to read at the bookstore, away from the campus. North of 9/11 describes a panic and an anti-Arab backlash at Concordia after the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Action: Constance Rooke, the president of PEN Canada, sent a letter to Di Grappa on Aug. 30, 2006, to protest against Concordia's decision to prevent Bernans from reading his novel to an audience on campus. David Mullan [July 2006] In Nova Scotia, Cape Breton University (CBU) suspended Professor David Mullan for two weeks without pay — a penalty of $2,100 — for posting letters that criticized the Anglican Church of Canada's acceptance of same-sex marriage. Mullan had posted the letters, which were addressed to an Anglican bishop, on a personal Web site. University officials suspended Mullan after they received a human rights complaint from Shane Wallis, a gay student and coordinator of CBU's sexual diversity centre. Mullan subsequently refused to cooperate with CBU's "one-sided" investigation into the dispute and filed a grievance against the university. WEB PUBLISHING Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission [Aug. 25, 2006] The CRTC declined to ask ISPs to block two U.S. Web sites that promote race hatred and incite violence against Richard Warman, a Canadian citizen. The CRTC said that it would be inappropriate to authorize ISPs to block the Web sites without first seeking comment from the companies and the public.[20] Warman, a lawyer and anti-racist activist in Ottawa, had asked the CRTC to authorize the ISPs to block the two U.S. Web sites. Warman said that the Web sites — which belong to Nazi sympathizer Bill White of Roanoke, Virginia — urge people to "take violent action" against Warman. The Web sites also provide Warman's home address.[21] (For more news about Web sites, see the entries above for Reni Sentana-Ries, Glenn David Bahr, Dossier Noir, Joy Smith and David Mullan.) Contact Franklin Carter at (416) 233-0994 or rfcarter@idirect.com for the sources of these stories. The opinions expressed in Freedom of Expression Update do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Book and Periodical Council or its member associations. © Richard Franklin Carter 2007 NOTES [1] Flynn acquired this information from Disticor Magazine Distribution Services. He conveyed his views to Heather Reisman, the chief executive officer of Indigo, in a letter. [2] The source for this statistic is a circulation manager at Harper's. [3] Moore also co-created the graphic novel V for Vendetta. In 2005, V for Vendetta debuted as a movie. [4] Five writers' organizations have acquired intervenor status in this case: CJFE, PWAC, TWUC, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) and PEN Canada. [5] The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the earlier dispute between Little Sister's and Canada Customs on Dec. 15, 2000. [6] Jim Pankiw's critics are Keith Dreaver, Norma Fairbairn, Susan Gingell, Pamela Irvine, John Melenchuk, Richard Ross, Ailsa Watkinson, Harlan Weidenhammer and Carman Willet. [7] The court's order is dated Oct. 6, 2005. [8] The ad displayed two stick-men holding hands within a circular "banned" symbol. The ad also cited four verses in the Bible: Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1 and I Corinthians 6:9-10. [9] If the OHRC had referred Smith's complaint to a tribunal, and if the tribunal had ruled in Smith's favour, then the decision would have had implications for book and periodical publishers who reprinted the lyrics and for retailers who sold publications with the lyrics. [10] The formal name of Bill C-47 is An Act respecting the protection of marks related to the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games and protection against certain misleading business associations and making a related amendment to the Trade-marks Act. [11] Thurston's brief can be found at www.writersunion.ca/novascotia06.pdf. [12] The report cited Atlantic Canada as an example. [13] The report also recommended reform of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the CRTC and Canada's access to information laws. In addition, the report recommended that the federal government provide start-up funding for new Canadian magazines. [14] Copies of the survey are available from Antonia Samek and Franklin Carter. The file is in MS Word. [15] RefWorks describes itself as "an on-line research management, writing and collaboration tool [that] is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information as well as generate citations and bibliographies." [16] Libby Davies, the NDP MP for Vancouver East, criticized Canada Post in Parliament on Oct. 27, 2006, for delivering the booklet. [17] The cartoons originally appeared in a Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, on Sept. 30, 2005. The publication of the cartoons served as the pretext for Muslim riots around the world in February 2006. [18] Later on Mar. 1, 2007, Martel read Mein Kampf unhindered to an audience at the Frances Morrison Library in Saskatoon. The second reading was part of Freedom to Read Week. [19] In 1995, Snow Falling on Cedars won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. In 1999, the movie version of Snow Falling on Cedars appeared in theatres. [20] The CRTC may ask ISPs to temporarily block Canadian access to specific Web sites; later the CRTC may order ISPs to block access. ISPs may not block access to any Web site without the CRTC's permission. [21] Warman has incurred the enmity of racists in North America for using Canadian human rights law to shut down Canadian Web sites that promote hateful ideas. In the United States, group defamation is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, although incitement to commit violence is not.
Previous Posts
Freedom to Read
|